The Road to be a Pokemon Master: Kanto Arc
by FanaticLAguy06
Summary: Join Ash on his journey to be a Pokemon Master. Accompanied by Serena, he will travel to many different regions on his quest to be the best and meet amazing friends and Pokemon along the way. (AU features slightly more mature and smart Ash. Amourshipping with slight hints at other ships)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

** Hello everyone and welcome to my first story! This is going to be a huge project for me so I will be counting on you, as the readers, to help me through it. This story will be AU and the first in a series. It will follow a smarter and slightly more mature Ash on his journey to become a Pokemon Master, and he will be accompanied by Serena, who will also establish her own identity. As far as shippings go, this will be an amourshipping story (mainly one-sided early on since Ash is kinda dense about those things), but will also have small hints at other shippings as well. The regions Ash and Serena will travel to are: Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, with each region divided into a separate story. This one will cover the events of the Kanto region. I haven't fully decided who they will travel with in other regions, but here in Kanto, it will definitely be Misty and Brock.**

**With that, Let's get started!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Pallet Town Summer Camp

It was a warm, sunny day in Pallet Town. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was the perfect day for summer camp, which is where our setting takes place. Kids were standing side-by-side in a line, all eager for the next activity. The said activity was going to be a scavenger hunt. It was one of the most anticipated activities at Pallet Town Summer Camp.

A young, raven-haired boy with brown eyes at seven years old was among the most eager of the group. His name was Ash Ketchum. Ash was a very kind, if not dense, boy. He loved to explore and go out on adventures, which is why he loved scavenger hunts. He always made sure to put his friends and family before anything else. His dream was to become a Pokemon Master. When he turned ten, he was going to set out on his journey and win every badge in the Kanto region, and then win the Pokemon League. Next, he would conquer other regions and challenge the Elite Four, the best trainers in the world, of each region. He was determined to become a legend.

Another boy in the group stood slightly taller than Ash and had his mouth curled into a smirk. His name was Gary Oak. He also had brown eyes and large, spikey brown hair that went out every which way. His grandfather was the famous Pokemon professor of the Kanto region and was considered the authority on Pokemon. Because of this, Gary had grown to have a very arrogant attitude and loved showing off in front of the other kids, particularly Ash Ketchum. . They had been rivals for a very long time and were always competing. Like Ash, Gary's dream was to be a Pokemon Master as soon as he became of age. He wanted to destroy any other trainer that crossed his path and gain even more fame than his grandfather.

There was also a girl who was very excited for the activity. Her name was Leaf Green. She had brown eyes and long, light brown hair that went down her back. Leaf was a very energetic and bubbly girl who enjoyed making friends with everyone, Pokemon and people alike. Because of this, she was one of the most well-liked kids in Pallet Town. She and Ash were good friends and enjoyed exploring and playing together. She even managed to get along with the arrogant Gary Oak sometimes, though they weren't as close as she and Ash were. Unlike Ash and Gary, however, she didn't have any interest in being the greatest Pokemon Master. Her love of Pokemon and exploration inspired her to instead fill up the pokedex.

There was also one girl in the group who wasn't very excited for the hunt. Her name was Serena Gabena. She had blue eyes and shoulder-length, honey blonde hair, though most of it was covered by the straw hat she was wearing. She was new to Pallet Town and had moved there just a few weeks ago. Her mother had sent her to camp in the hope that she could make some friends there, but Serena was too shy to talk to anybody. Leaf had attempted to start a conversation a few times, but even she couldn't get much response from Serena. Unlike Ash, Gary, and Leaf, Serena didn't have a clear goal in mind. Her mother had been a famous Rhyhorn Racer but was now retired. It only took Serena a few times on her mother's Rhyhorn to decide she didn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps. She was always getting thrown off the first few seconds. So what could she do with her life?

"Heh, this is going to be a piece of cake. Everyone knows I'm going to win," Gary said in an arrogant tone, causing the other kids to glare at him.

"Don't be so sure, Gary. You might have beaten us at some of the other events, but you won't win this time! I can't wait to see that smirk wipe off your face!" Ash said to him. This caused Gary to turn his attention to Ash now. Leaf sighed worriedly. Here comes another one of their arguments.

"Oh yeah, Ashy boy? Everyone here knows that you're a loser. Why don't you just go back to your cabin and sit this one out? It will save you the embarrassment of losing to me again," Gary shot back. There were few things in the world that made Ash angry, but Gary Oak was one of them.

"Just you wait, Gary. I'm going to win this time, and then I'll beat you at everything else, too" Ash shouted. They then butted heads and growled at each other, silently daring the other to give in first Leaf rolled her eyes while Serena and the other kids just stood there quietly watching.

This is when the camp counselor decided to intervene. "Alright. Alright. Break it up you two. You don't want me to have to call your parents do you?" The two boys then gave each other one last glare before walking back to their respective places in line.

Leaf then leaned over toward Ash and whispered, "Ash, you are one of the nicest boys I know. You shouldn't let Gary get to you like that. You know he is just trying to make you mad."

Ash then sighed. "Thanks, Leaf. I just wish I could beat Gary at something to prove that he isn't as great as he thinks he is."

* * *

"Alright, so does everyone understand the rules?" the camp counselor asked, receiving a nod from all the kids. "Remember, no teaming up. You are to do this alone. There will be counselors at various points to around the camp make sure you don't get lost. The first one to find all the items will be declared the winner of the scavenger hunt. Most importantly, have fun! Are you ready?"

All the kids were then handed a basket and a list of things to find. Ash, Gary, Leaf, and the other kids had determined looks on their faces, all except Serena. She looked unsurely at the list of things to find, going through them in her mind. How could she succeed at this event? She had barely even gotten through the others. She didn't even want to come to this camp in the first place.

"On your mark, get set, go!" the camp counselor yelled, pumping his fist into the air. The kids then all ran off into different directions, determined to beat one another at the scavenger hunt.

* * *

Serena was walking through the forest beside the camp by herself. It was already twenty minutes into the scavenger hunt, and she had only found a couple of items on the list. She then let out a sigh. She hoped she would at least be able to get through this event. It was going to be the last major one at the camp since it was the last day, and she hadn't made a single friend yet. Aside from Leaf, no one had really attempted to talk to her. She hated being the new kid and wished she wasn't so shy to make new friends.

She then heard a rustling in the bush. She stopped and eyed the bush. "Umm, hello? Is anybody in there?" she asked timidly. There was no response. "Hello?" she asked again. There was still no response. She slowly started walking toward the bush and was about to peak when all of the sudden, a Poliwag jumped out of the bush with a cry of "Poli!"

Serena was so startled that she tripped and fell backwards, dropping her list and basket of items. "Owww!" she cried as she landed. The Poliwag just looked at her and waddled off into another part of the forest. Serena had scraped her knee pretty badly when she fell and it really hurt. She couldn't even stand up.

Serena then began to cry. Where were the camp counselors at? They were supposed to be at every area. "I didn't even want to come to camp in the first place," she said in between tears "I wish someone would come to help me. MAMAAAAA!" she cried out.

Just then, she heard more rustling from the bushes. She hoped it was one of the counselors, but what if it wasn't? What if it was another Pokemon, only more dangerous than a Poliwag? Serena stared fearfully at the bush until a raven-haired boy emerged from it. She sighed with relief that it was just one of the campers. They hadn't been formally introduced, but she believed he was called Ash Ketchumi. He was still clearly looking for items in the scavenger hunt.

"Hmm, where is it?" Ash said to himself. He then noticed Serena. He walked up to her and gave her a warm smile. "Hi. My name is Ash Ketchum! What's yours?"

"I-I'm Serena," she said timidly

"Why are you on the ground, Serena?" the raven-haired boy asked.

"I fell and now my leg hurts," Serena said, grimacing at the pain.

"That's okay. I'll help you," Ash said as he set down his things. He then bent down and pulled a blue cloth out of his shorts pocket. Serena watched him as he began to tie the cloth over her leg. "_This is_ _really nice of him_," she thought to herself. He could have just ran to get help which would have left her alone again, but he was fixing it himself.

Once Ash was done, he began to wave his hands over the wound. "I'll say a good luck charm really quick. Pain, pain, go away!" he said.

Despite how silly it sounded, Serena thought that it was really sweet and gave Ash a smile of her own. The young girl even felt a slight tinge of red on her cheeks. "Thank you, Ash," she said gratefully.

"No problem. Can you stand?" Ash asked her

She then began to try, but the pain forced her back down. "It's no use! My leg hurts too bad!" she cried.

"Never give up until the end!" Ash said as he stood up and offered Serena his hand.

Serena stared at the open gesture for a moment before she slowly slipped her hand into Ash's. He then gave a hard tug and pulled Serena to her feet, but ended up pulling a little too hard causing Serena to fall against Ash in an almost hug- like state. Serena stood surprised for a moment as she leaned against Ash and felt her cheeks go red again. She then pulled away and stared at Ash in surprise. He didn't appear to notice the type of state they were in and instead gave Serena a bright smile.

"You stood!" Ash said happily before giving her a grin. "Come on. Let's head back to the camp," he said as he began to lead Serena by hand, out of the forest.

"But what about your things for the scavenger hunt?" Serena asked.

"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is getting you back safely," Ash told her with a smile as he continued to lead her by the hand.

Serena continued to silently follow Ash out of the forest. He was being so nice to her and they didn't even know each other. First, he ties up her wound, helps her stand, and is completely dropping the scavenger hunt to make sure that she is safely led out of the forest. She would say that he is probably the nicest boy she has ever met.

"So do you live in Pallet Town?" Ash asked her.

"Yes. My mama and I just moved here a few weeks ago," she replied.

"Well that's great! Once camp is over, I can come over to see you at your house, and we can play together! I'll also introduce you to some of my friends!" Ash said enthusiastically.

"That would be really nice. Thank you, Ash," Serena said with a smile. She was so surprised at how kind Ash was. He was even offering to come see her once camp was over and be her friend.

"You bet! Hey! Look! We've reached the end of the forest! Let's get you to the nurse's office to make sure you are okay," Ash said as he pointed to the exit. Then together they walked out of the forest hand-in-hand.

* * *

It came as no surprise to anyone that Gary Oak had become the victor of the scavenger hunt. He didn't waste any time bragging to everybody about how he knew he would win and that he was the greatest ever, especially to Ash. Normally, Ash would have gotten angry and given a retort to Gary, but at the moment, he wasn't bothered by Gary's taunting. He was just glad he was able to help when she was in trouble.

XXX

"_How is she, Ms. Nurse?" Ash asked after the nurse had examined Serena's scrape. The nurse then turned to Ash and gave him a smile. Serena was sitting on a chair with her leg in a more appropriate bandage._

_ "She will be just fine, young man. It was only a scrape and will heal completely in a few days," the nurse told him kindly. "You were very smart to tie that cloth around her scrape until you could get help for her. She must be lucky to have a friend like you."_

_ "That's great!" Ash exclaimed. He then turned to Serena. "See, the nurse said you will be just fine. You will be feeling great again in no time!"_

_ "Y-yeah. That's great," Serena said, feeling the red return to her cheeks. Why did she keep getting so flustered around Ash?!_

_ "Oh, no! Serena, your face is getting red. You aren't getting a fever, are you?" Ash asked with worry. This caused Serena to become even redder than she already was._

_ The nurse, however, knew exactly what was going on and came to the rescue. "Don't worry, Ash. Serena isn't getting a fever at all so don't you worry about it. Why don't you go on back outside while I finish up in here?" she told him with a smile. "_Ah, young love. That's so sweet," _she thought to herself._

_ "Okay," Ash said as turned around and headed for the door. He then turned to Serena and gave her a thumbs-up. "Hey, Serena! Let's play together real soon!" With that, he walked out of the nurse's office, leaving Serena and the nurse alone. Serena still had the blue cloth Ash had given her and brought it close to her chest. As she watched the young boy go, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She hoped she would be able to see Ash again soon._

_XXX_

"Hey, Ashy-boy! Are you even listening to me?! I beat you again!" Gary said, trying to get some type of rise out of Ash, but Ash wasn't giving any type of pouting or angry look as usual. Instead, to Gary's surprise, Ash gave him a smile.

"Alright, Gary. Good job. You beat me this time, but you just wait until next time," he said. Gary just stared at Ash, dumbfounded for a second. He finally gave up taunting Ash, but not before muttering, "Loser," and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

Leaf then walked up to Ash. "Wow, Ash. I've never seen you handle Gary's taunting so maturely," she said to him.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just happy because I was able to help someone and make a friend today," Ash told her."

"Really? Who is it?" Leaf asked him.

"Her name is Serena. She had hurt her leg during the scavenger hunt. I found her and helped her out. It turns out she lives in Pallet Town also," Ash told her.

"Oh yeah. I remember Serena," Leaf said. "I had tried to talk to her while we were here at camp, but she never said much back. She was really shy." She then smiled at Ash. "That was always one of your best qualities, Ash. You care a lot about others and are always willing to help those in need. You will be a great Pokemon trainer in the future. I know it."

"Thanks, Leaf," Ash said, smiling back at her. "I'm going to shout it out right now!" He then turned toward the sky, cupped his hands over his mouth, and shouted out, "Look out, world! Ash Ketchum is coming before you know it! I'm going to be the greatest Pokemon Master ever!"

Little did Ash know that Serena was watching him from the window of the nurse's office and heard the words he had shouted. "_Ash really is something," _she thought to herself. She had a feeling that he was going to be a big part of and influence on her life from now on. Maybe coming to the summer camp wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

* * *

**So how was it everyone? Please tell me what you thought in a review. Constructive criticism is welcome. Should I keep going or not? I'll do my best to answer any questions you may have about the story. **

**This chapter was a little shorter compared to how long the other chapters will be. It was mainly used as an introduction to some of the characters, as well as the meeting of Ash and Serena The next chapter will begin their Pokemon journey. My chapters should contain around 4000 to 6000 words each. Is that an okay length? **

**If any of you thought that Serena was too shy or Gary was too big of a jerk, that will change. Serena's shyness was mainly because she was the new kid. Gary will mature but still be cocky. **

**Expect the next chapter to come up soon! "Chapter 2: Meeting the starters." **


	2. Meeting the Starters

**A/N**

**Hey everyone! I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of reviews and favs my fic got.** **I'm going to definitely try to see this through to the end to not disappoint you guys. I will try to keep a weekly/bi-weekly update schedule. If for some reason I'm unable to meet that and have something going on, I will let you guys know in my profile or the chapter before. I can even keep my profile updated with the progress of the chapters if you would prefer. Just let me know. With that, here is chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All of its characters belong to Nintendo.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Meeting the starters

It was late at night in Pallet Town. Stores had closed hours ago, and most people had already gone to sleep for the night. There were few sounds at this time to disturb anyone in the rural community. It was very tranquil and peaceful. There was still one light on in Pallet Town, however. It showed from the second story window from the bedroom of a two story house. The said bedroom belonged to Ash Ketchum. It had been three years since he was at Pallet Town summer camp. Now, he was ten years of age, and tomorrow would be the day he would finally begin his journey to be a Pokemon Master. It had been the only thing he had thought about the entire day.

He currently had the television turned on to a Pokemon battle between a Gengar and Nidorino. Gengar was of the ghost/poison-type Pokemon and was dark purple in color with its face in a mischievous grin. It had protrusions coming from its back that resembled spikes. Nidorino was a poison-type Pokemon and was dark pink and resembled a large rabbit. It had a large horn protruding from its forehead. The Pokemon belonged to members of the Elite Four themselves. Gengar belonged to Agatha, and Nidorino belonged to Bruno.

Despite the intensity of the battle, Ash wasn't paying it much mind. He was too focused on his journey for tomorrow. Ash's mother had just bought him some new clothes for his journey earlier that day, which he was currently trying on. They consisted of a plain black, short-sleeved shirt with a pair of blue jeans. Over the black shirt he had on a blue jacket with white short sleeves which he wore open. On his hands were a pair of black, fingerless gloves with green edgings. He was also wearing his favorite red and white hat. It was the official Pokemon League hat. Ash claimed he had to send in about a million post cards to win it, which made it very special to him.

"Alright. Tomorrow is finally the day," Ash said to himself. "My dream to become a Pokemon Master is going to begin." He then picked up an alarm clock in the shape of a pokeball and held it out in front of him. "I will be the very best! Like no one ever was! That is what I…."

"Ash! Get to bed!"

The sudden appearance of Delia Ketchum, his mother, in the doorway and her shout startled Ash so much that he threw the alarm clock across the room which was caught by her. It then opened up revealing a mechanical Pidgey that was cuckooing. Ash's mother was a young woman with brown eyes and long brown hair which was tied into a ponytail. She was currently wearing her night robe.

"It's late, Ash" she continued. "Tomorrow is the day you start your Pokemon journey. You need your rest so you don't oversleep and get a late start."

"I know, Mom. I'm just so excited for tomorrow that I'm not tired. I'll go to bed real soon, though. I promise,' Ash said.

"Fine. You have ten more minutes, and then I want to see you in bed, young man," Delia told him. She then walked over to the television and changed the channel. "In the meantime, at least watch something a little more educational." With that, she walked out of the room.

Ash turned to the television. The channel she had changed it to featured Professor Oak discussing the three starter Pokemon that trainers could choose from. They consisted of: Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Trainers may only choose one, and each one had their own strengths and weaknesses that would serve trainers differently depending on the circumstance.

"For all you future Pokemon trainers out there," Professor Oak began, "I'd like to present to you the starter Pokemon. They are Bulbasaur, the grass-type, Charmander, the fire-type, and Squirtle, the water-type. One of these three powerful Pokemon await you and will be your loyal companions, but remember, Pokemon are also your friends. Perhaps you will choose Bulbasaur, whose razor-sharp leaves and vines can cut through the thickest forest. Maybe Charmander, whose strong body is sure to be useful in tough climates, or perhaps Squirtle is more to your liking, who can get you across any body of water."

"_They all look so good. It will be a really tough choice,_" Ash thought. He did know that whomever he chose would be the best friend Ash could ask for. He couldn't wait to meet his future partner tomorrow.

* * *

Elsewhere in Pallet Town, just a few houses down, a girl with honey blonde hair was already in bed. Like Ash, however, she was unable to get to sleep. The girl was Serena Gabena. She was no longer the super shy girl she was when she first moved to Pallet Town. She had fit into the Pallet Town crew just fine in the past three years. She and Leaf had become best friends in that time and did all sorts of things together, whether it be watching movies, talking about the latest thing, or discussing whether Gary or Ash was the denser boy. They usually agreed that it was Ash. Serena valued her friendship with Leaf because there were some things a girl could just never discuss with a boy.

Serena and Gary were able to get along most of the time, though they did argue sometimes, but nowhere near the intensity or as often as Gary and Ash did. Those two were still fierce rivals and competed at just about everything. Though Gary wasn't as much of a jerk as he used to be and could even be pretty nice sometimes, he could never seem to let go of that arrogant attitude of his, which is what Serena, and Ash and Leaf for that matter, couldn't stand about him.

Then there was Ash. Ever since that day at summer camp when he helped her, she developed a secret crush on Ash. Well, it wasn't really a secret as the only person who didn't seem to know about it was Ash himself. She had never known anyone as kind as Ash Ketchum. Just as he promised, he came over to play with her after summer camp and had been the one to properly introduce her to Leaf and Gary. She and Ash had played together all the time and always had a blast. She could see him for only a minute and be happy the rest of the day. He had also been the one to get her the hat she likes to wear.

XXX

_"Happy birthday, Serena!" Ash said with a smile as he handed her the present. _

_It was Serena's tenth birthday. Her mother was throwing a birthday party at her house and invited Ash, Leaf, and Gary. She had already opened all of her presents except for Ash's._

"_Thank you, Ash," Serena said gratefully. She then took the present and sat down as she began to unwrap it. She couldn't wait to see what her crush had given her. Once she unwrapped it, it unveiled a medium sized box. She opened the box, and inside was a pink hat with a black horizontal stripe which ran across it and had pink brim. _

"_I hope you like it, Serena," Ash said a little shyly. He then rubbed the back of his neck. "I know I'm not very good with fashion, but I saw that hat in the store the other day and thought you might look good in it, so…"_

"_Oh, Ash! I love it!" Serena exclaimed. She then jumped up and gave Ash a great big hug, causing him to actually redden slightly._

"_That's great. I'm glad," he said a little nervously._

_ "I'm going to try it on right now!" Serena said. She then placed the hat on her head and gave a wink and a smile. "How do I look?" she asked everyone. They all murmured their approval. "Thanks again, Ash," she said_

_ "You're welcome," he replied._

XXX

Ever since Ash had given her the hat, she had worn it every day. It was stylish and went well with her outfits, but the best part is that it was a gift from Ash.

Her birthday had been a few months ago, and tomorrow was the day she would begin her Pokemon journey as well. The only problem was she had no idea what her goal would be. Ash, Gary, and Leaf had known what they had wanted to do for a long time. Why couldn't she decide what her goal would be? She could only hope that by going on this journey that she will find something that catches her interest and pursue it.

Furthermore, she didn't want to go on this journey by herself. She believed journeys were always better with more than one person. You would always have someone looking out for you in case something happened, and it was, of course, more fun to have someone else to talk to. She hoped Ash, Leaf, or even Gary (okay maybe not Gary) would accept her to accompany them. All these thoughts were swimming through her head, and she just couldn't get to sleep. She gave a sigh. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"_Today is finally the day_," Ash thought as finished tying his tennis shoes. It was the next morning, and he had been waiting for this moment a long time. He was pumped. He ran out of his room, down the stairs, and then burst into the kitchen. His mother, Delia, had just finished cooking him a big breakfast.

"Ash, this is the last meal I'm going to cook for you in a while, so I hope you're hungry. I made plenty," Delia said as set the plate of food down on the table. Ash looked hungrily at the plate of food in front of him. I consisted of a stack of pancakes and plenty of bacon on the side.

"Thanks, Mom!" Ash said as he began to dig in. It all tasted so good! He really would miss his mom's cooking while he was gone.

"Oh, my little baby is going on his Pokemon journey. You are growing up so fast!" Delia said as she began to tear up as Ash finished his breakfast.

"Mom…" Ash said embarrassedly.

"Now, Professor Oak is waiting for you, Ash. You should go ahead to the lab. You don't want to be late, do you?" Delia told him.

It was then that Ash looked at the clock. He only had ten minutes until he was supposed to be at Professor Oak's lab!

"Oh, no! I'm running late!" Ash exclaimed as he dashed out of the house.

"Make sure to stop by the house again before you leave!" Delia called after him

"Okay!" Ash shouted back.

* * *

"Serena! Hurry up or you will be late!" Grace, Serena's mother, called out upstairs to her daughter.

"I know! I can't figure out what to wear, though!" Serena yelled

"Just pick something!" Grace said

Serena then came downstairs, still in her pink pajamas. "I can't decide between these two blouses! What do you think?" Serena asked, holding up the two blouses for her mother to see. One was a black blouse with a white collar. The other was pretty similar in design but was a different color. It was a light gray color with a black collar.

"Hmm," her mother mused. After examining them, she said, "I like the light gray one with the black collar.

"Alright! That settles it! The black blouse it is!" Serena said with delight as she ran back upstairs to her room to change.

"Wait. You are going to choose the opposite of what I said? I thought you wanted my opinion," Grace said with confusion as she watched her daughter go back up the stairs.

Serena then turned around and let out a giggle and a wink. "The outfit that you chose would definitely be the less fashionable one," she said, causing Grace to roll her eyes.

"Fine. Just hurry up and change," Grace advised, looking at her watch. "Professor Oak said he wanted all of you there by ten o'clock, and it's already nine forty-five!"

About two minutes later, Serena came down in her clothes. Aside from the black blouse with the white collar, her outfit consisted of a pink skirt that went slightly above her knees, black thigh-high socks, solid black shoes, and of course, the pink hat that Ash had given her. "Do I look okay, Mom?" she asked.

"You look fine! Now go! Just make sure after you get your Pokemon to come back here to grab your things!" Grace urged.

"Okay! Bye, Mom! Love you!" Serena said with a wave as she ran out the door. She also gave a quick good bye to her mother's Rhyhorn that was walking around in the front yard. Then she turned the corner and dashed down the road to Professor Oak's lab.

As Grace watched her daughter go, she shook her head and sighed. She knew that Serena didn't want to do Rhyhorn racing for the rest of her life, and that was fine. She just wished her daughter would find a goal: trainer, coordinator, breeder, watcher, connoisseur, anything! She actually had encouraged her daughter to stay at home for a while until she could find out what she wanted to do, but Serena had insisted so strongly on leaving this year (probably because Ash was leaving), that her mother had to give in. Grace then turned to head to the kitchen. "_Serena is really into fashion. Maybe she could be a Pokemon fashion designer. It's the only other thing I can think of," _she thought.

* * *

Serena continued to hurry along the path to Professor Oak's lab. She would be really embarrassed to be late on her first day of getting a Pokemon. She knew that if she continued to run, she should be able to make it on time. As she was running, she came to an intersection ad caught sight of Ash coming from the other side, also running. At least she wasn't the only one pressed for time.

"Ash! Hi!" Serena said in between breaths as she turned the corner to Professor Oak's lab.

"Serena!" Ash said, also in between breaths as he turned the corner.

They continued to run side by side. They were almost there. They ran up the steps and burst through the door just before the clock struck ten. Both of them were panting heavily.

Gary and Leaf were already there. Both of them were waiting for Ash and Serena. Both of them were geared up for the Pokemon journey also. Gary had on a long sleeved purple shirt and dark blue pants. He also wore brown boots and a green necklace. Leaf was wearing a sky blue sleeveless shirt, a red skirt, knee-high light blue socks, white tennis shoes, and a white hat with red stripes and half-pokeball symbol on it.

Behind them stood Professor Samuel Oak himself. He was an older man in his early sixties. He was of average size and build for an adult and had neatly combed gray hair and thick, black, bushy eyebrows. He wore a white lab coat over a red polo shirt securely tucked into khaki pants with a belt.

"Well, well. It seems all of you are here on time," Professor Oak said, giving the four a smile. "I know all of you are very excited. A whole new adventure awaits you all! It's the incredible world of Pokemon! Your journey with your partner Pokemon will have many fun times, but also there may be dangerous times as well. If it ever comes to that, you must use your Pokemon to protect you. Always remember this, though. Your Pokemon are not just there to protect you from danger, they are also your friends and partners. Do you understand?"

All four nodded their heads, each with different thoughts going through their head. "_This is it! I can't wait! I'm gonna be the very best!" _Ash thought.

"_Here it is. I hope I'm ready," _Serena thought.

_"This is great! I can't wait to see all the different Pokemon!_" Leaf thought.

_"Heh, it's about time. Now the world will see what a real Pokemon trainer looks like," _Gary thought.

"Very well. In that case, please follow me to the other room to meet your first Pokemon," Professor Oak said. He then turned around and began walking into the main part of the lab, the four soon-to-be trainers following him.

He led them into a large room with a large computer on one side. In the center of the room was a circular table with three pokeballs sitting on top of it. Other than that, the room was pretty bare.

"Here they are! One of these will become your very first Pokemon," Professor Oak stated, gesturing to the pokeballs on the table. "One of the pokeballs contains Bulbasaur, the grass-type Pokemon, One contains Charmander, the fire-type Pokemon, and the other contains Squirtle, the water-type Pokemon. Choose your Pokemon wisely. Who would like to go first?"

Ash, always the gentleman, said," Ladies first, as they say," causing both Serena and Leaf to smile at him.

Gary just shrugged. "Whatever. Those two can go first if they want. It's not like it makes a difference. I'll be the best no matter which one I have"

"Then it's settled!" Professor Oak said with a nod. "Serena, Leaf, please go ahead and pick your Pokemon."

Leaf walked up to the table first. She had known which Pokemon she wanted from the very beginning. "I like all the Pokemon here, but if I had to choose one, it would be Bulbasaur! So come on out" she said as she grabbed the pokeball and pushed the center button to open it.

A beam of white light shot out of the pokeball until it materialized into a small grayish green dinosaur-like Pokemon with a large green bulb on its back. Bulbasaur looked around at all of its surroundings before its eyes settled on Leaf, its new trainer.

Leaf kneeled down to be more eye level with it. "You're so cute!" she exclaimed. "Would you like to travel with me, Bulbasaur?"

Bulbasaur studied Leaf for moment before smiling and cried, "Bulbasaur!" signaling that it approved.

Gary smirked. "It figures you would choose a grass-type Pokemon since your name is Leaf," he said causing Leaf to stick her tongue out at him.

"Haha, very funny," she said sarcastically.

"Serena, why don't you go ahead and choose your next Pokemon?" Professor Oak suggested.

"Go on Serena! I'm really excited to see which Pokemon you get!" Ash said, giving her a thumbs-up. Serena smiled back at Ash and felt herself blush a bit, but quickly hid it from the others.

Serena then walked up to the table and studied the remaining two pokeballs. The one she chose would be her partner for life. She really had to make sure she chose the right one. Squirtle or Charmander? She took a deep breath as she made her decision.

"Charmander! I choose you!" Serena said as she opened the pokeball to reveal Charmander. It was an orange salamander Pokemon the stood on two legs. It had a flame burning at the end of its tail.

"Char! Char!" it cried as it ran up and hugged Serena's legs. Serena instantly liked it.

"Oooooh, it's so cute!" Leaf squealed, jumping up and down, causing Serena, Ash, and Professor Oak to laugh. Gary just rolled his eyes.

"_Annoying girl_," he thought.

"Well, you certainly are friendly, aren't you?" Serena said. She then picked up Charmander and held it out in front of her. "Would you like to come along with me?" she asked.

Charmander nodded enthusiastically. It then reached out and took Serena's hat and placed it on its head and winked. It was clearly a female Charmander.

"Hahaha! Do you like my hat?" Serena giggled as she took it back.

"Char! Char!" it said and nodded again.

"I've got a nickname for you, Charmander,"Serena began. "How about I call you Charla?"

"Charmander!" it agreed and nodded again.

Serena smiled. She believed she had made the right choice for her Pokemon. She just secretly hoped she was good enough for the friendly Pokemon considering she didn't know what she wanted to do yet.

Gary decided he would go next. He walked up to the table and looked at the remaining pokeball. "Well, I guess that leaves this one for me," he said as he grabbed the pokeball and opened it. "Come out, Squirtle!"

The pokeball opened to reveal Squirtle. It was a small, light blue turtle Pokemon that stood on two legs and had a curly tail coming out of its shell. It stood there with its arms crossed and had a confident expression on its face.

"Heh, you look like a tough guy. Why don't you travel with me, Squirtle? We'll conquer anyone in our path. Soon, everyone will know our name!" Gary said as he looked down at Squirtle.

"Squirtle!" it said. Then they both began to laugh arrogantly. Everyone else in the room sweat dropped. Those two were just alike.

"I guess that leaves me," Ash said as he went to the table. It was then that he noticed something very wrong. There were only three pokeballs that were on the table, and four trainers. There weren't any Pokemon left. Everyone else in the room realized this as well as they got nervous expressions on their faces.

"Uh, Professor Oak? You did have at least four Pokemon prepared for us, right? There is at least one more Pokemon for me, isn't there?" Ash asked hopefully. Serena, Leaf, and Gary looked at Professor Oak. They were wondering the same thing.

Professor Oak began to rub the back of his neck. "Well, there is one other Pokemon for me to give. It is rather different, however. Are you sure you want it?" he asked with an unsure expression.

"Definitely! I'll take it!" Ash said with no hesitation.

"If you are sure," Professor Oak said as he pushed a button on the side of the table. The center of the table opened up, and a small platform rose out of the opening. On top of the platform was a pokeball with a small lightning bolt on it.

Professor Oak then picked up the pokeball and gave Ash a serious expression. "Okay, Ash. This Pokemon has had bad experiences with humans in the past. It's very distrustful with humans as a result. I had to work very hard for it to even let me come near it. I am trusting you to give this Pokemon the love and friendship it deserves," Professor Oak said. "Will you do that?"

"I will Professor. You can count on me! This Pokemon and I will become the best of friends!" Ash said.

"Very well, Ash. Here you go. I must ask everyone else to stand back a few feet so as not to startle it," Professor Oak said as he gave Ash the pokeball.

Despite the temptation to get as close of a look as possible, the other kids obeyed and stepped back a few steps. Ash then looked at the pokeball in his hand. Whichever Pokemon was in this pokeball would become his lifelong partner. Whatever this Pokemon had gone through, Ash would help it overcome it and be the best friend the Pokemon could ask for.

"_Here we go,"_ he thought as he opened the pokeball.

The white beam shot out of the pokeball and landed on the table as it began to take shape. The kids all waited anxiously to see what kind of Pokemon would come out of the pokeball. The shape the beam was taking became clearer, and it was soon obvious to everyone that it wasn't going to be a Charmander, Bulbasaur, or Squirtle that would come out. The beam finally stopped shooting as the Pokemon began to appear.

The Pokemon was yellow in color and looked like a mouse. It had pointy ears that were tipped with black and one red circle on each of its cheeks. It also had a lightning bolt shaped tail.

It was a Pikachu.

* * *

**You all did well at guessing who would have which Pokemon. Yes, the Charmander that Serena got is female and is named Charla like the one in Charicific Valley. The Charicific Valley may make an appearance in Johto, but there will be no Charla like in canon. Expect the next chapter up in about a week!**

**Chapter 3: The meeting of life long partners (working title)**

**Replies to Reviews: Pokeball645: Thanks! I hope you will continue to read until the end!**

**Sweetie147: Thank you also! I also hope you will continue to read and show your support.**

**Bectonstrider: Thank you! I will certainly try to make it a very good one!**

**Hawk2012: Glad you liked the opening! I hope you will continue to read the story.**

**WhiteEagle1985: Glad you liked it! Yes, Serena lives in Pallet Town with Ash will travel with him in all the regions.**

**PurimPopoie: Glad you liked it! Don't let my story stop you from making your own version! I would be very interested to read it!**

**SilverLuigi98: Thank a lot! I'm trying hard to make sure to keep everyone in character. Please continue to show your report.**

**STORYmaker2: I'm glad you liked it. Yeah I'm trying to follow the anime while having a few of my own ideas. It will follow canon close enough for a bit but will start to diverge more away from it when Ash and Serena get to Pewter. There will still be times when canon and this story line up nicely, though.**

**2 guests: Thanks! I'm glad you liked my story and will continue to read it!**


	3. The Meeting of Lifelong Partners

**A/N: Well here is the next chapter as promised. Ash and Pikachu meet. As for what Serena's goal is…you will just have to wait and see in a future chapter! ** **Once again thanks for all of the reviews and likes! I read them all! You guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokemon. It still belongs to Nintendo…yep.**

* * *

Chapter 3: The Meeting of Lifelong Partners

Everyone stared at the Pokemon that had come out of the pokeball. They certainly were not expecting a Pikachu to come out. In turn, Pikachu stared uncertainly at everyone around it. It didn't quite know what to make of the situation. What it did know was one raven-haired boy was standing a little too close for its liking, though.

Ash was the first one to give any real reaction, and his face broke out into a wide grin. He then leaned forward to get a little closer. "Hello, Pikachu. My name is Ash Ketchum. I had heard that you have had bad experiences with people and distrust them, but I promise you I'm not like that. I'm going to treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Will you give me a chance?"

Pikachu continued to stare at Ash. It didn't believe this kid for one second. It had heard that one before. How people had said they would be nice to it, only to abuse it the first chance they got. Pikachu then promptly turned its back on Ash with a low-toned "Chu" to emphasize that it didn't want anything to do with him.

Gary Oak then gave a smirk as he crossed his arms. "What's the matter Ashy-boy? Can't you even make your first Pokemon trust you? I guess I can say that's to be expected. I don't know what Gramps is thinking trying to give you a Pikachu like that."

Leaf and Serena then glared at Gary. "Ugh! Gary, you can be such a jerk sometimes. Let's see you try to become friends with it," Leaf said.

Gary shrugged. "I'm only saying that Pikachu isn't for some run-off-the-mill rookie like Ash. You know he will be miserable with that thing."

Ash decided he would try again. "Don't listen to Gary, Pikachu. I personally think you are so great that you are the best of all. I couldn't be happier to receive you as my first Pokemon." He then reached out to try to give Pikachu a reassuring touch on its back.

"Wait, Ash! Be careful, or….," Professor Oak tried to warn, but it was too late.

As soon as Pikachu felt Ash's hand against it, it let out a cry of "Pikachuuuuuu!" and gave off a powerful thundershock. The bolt engulfed Ash in electricity and caused the other people and Pokemon to hit the floor in an attempt to block the attack.

"Wow. That was a powerful thundershock," Ash mumbled, a little dazed once Pikachu finished.

"Ash! Are you okay?!" Serena asked worriedly as she and everyone else stood up again.

"Yeah. I think so," Ash said.

"Geez, Ash! Watch what you're doing! That Pikachu is a danger to everyone! You need to get that thing back into its pokeball before something worse happens!" Gary exclaimed with an angry look on his face.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Gary on this one, Ash. Let me put Pikachu back into its pokeball, and I can try to find another Pokemon for you," Professor Oak said as he picked up Pikachu's pokeball. Pikachu looked at the ball fearfully. It hated being inside pokeballs.

"No. Wait, Professor. It's fine," Ash said, stopping Professor Oak. He then turned Pikachu. "Sorry about that Pikachu. I shouldn't have reached out and startled you like that. That was my fault. I'll try to be more careful from now on. Do you forgive me?"

That got Pikachu's attention. It was expecting Ash to hit it or at least be very angry and yell at it for shocking him, but he was doing just the opposite. He wasn't bothered by it at all and was even apologizing to it and wanted its forgiveness. Maybe this human wasn't as bad as it originally thought. It still didn't trust Ash, but decided to give him a break. It turned around to face Ash and nodded its head, signaling it at least forgave Ash.

"That's great! Thanks, Pikachu," Ash said gratefully. "Maybe we could start over. I really would like to be the trainer and friend to a great Pokemon like you. If you decide you don't want anything to do with me, you can go, and I won't try to stop you. What do you say? Want to give this partnership a chance?" He then extended his hand to Pikachu in a gesture of friendship.

Pikachu hesitated. Surely Ash didn't expect it to be buddies with him just because he apologized and was forgiven. On the other hand, he did seem genuine and said that it could leave at any time with no questions asked if it didn't like him. After giving it some thought, Pikachu decided it could give Ash a single chance. It didn't accept Ash's hand, but it still nodded its head. Pikachu then curled its hands into fists and sparked its cheeks, letting Ash know that it still had its guard up.

Taking the hint, Ash decided Pikachu still wasn't ready for him to be too close to it yet unless he wanted to get another thundershock, but that still didn't stop Ash from grinning broadly. "Thanks, Pikachu. I understand. I won't try to touch you anymore until you are ready. In the meantime, would you please get inside the pokeball? I want to take you to my house to introduce you to my mom."

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu shook its head frantically and waved its arms back and forth. It couldn't stand being in pokeballs, and it would be danged if this kid thought he could get it to go back inside of one.

"Oh? You don't like pokeballs, Pikachu?" Ash asked in concern

Pikachu shook its head again. It then crouched down in a tight ball and closed its eyes, letting Ash know that it thought pokeballs were cramped and dark, which scared it.

"If that's the case, Pikachu, then you don't have to go in. You can just stay outside and walk beside me? How does that sound?" Ash asked, giving Pikachu a smile.

Pikachu was actually impressed. Ash was even not making it get into a pokeball. This kid was just full of surprises. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after, all.

"Are you kidding me?! Ash, if you can't get that thing to even get inside of its pokeball, then it's going to walk all over you! Keep that up, and pretty soon it will be the Pikachu that's training you!" Gary said, glaring at Ash.

"Now, now, Gary! That remark was uncalled for," Professor Oak scolded. He then turned to Ash. "I do agree with what Gary said on one point, however. Are you sure having Pikachu outside the pokeball is a good idea?"

"If Pikachu doesn't want to be in a pokeball, then it doesn't have to," Ash replied.

Professor Oak studied Ash carefully. He had had his doubts, but perhaps giving Ash this Pikachu was the right move, after all. He knew how much Ash cared for Pokemon and had always sensed something special in the boy. He had no doubt that these two would accomplish many great things together.

Serena was thinking likewise. She was super lucky that she got a Pokemon as friendly as Charla. If she had wound up with Pikachu, she didn't think she could handle it. Ash, on the other hand, was so forgiving and never gave up. Those were just a couple of the many qualities that she liked about him.

"Well, Ash, I will trust your judgement," Professor Oak said. He then turned towards the table and pushed another button on it. "I would like to go ahead and give you all your pokedexes now."

The platform that had Pikachu's pokeball on it lowered back into the table. It was soon replaced as a different platform rose out. On it were four red, rectangular devices about the size of a calculator with many different buttons and a small screen.

Professor Oak picked up the machines and handed one to each of the four trainers. "These devices are your pokedexes. They will be used to record and give you any information about the Pokemon you may encounter on your journey. As soon as you see one you haven't come across yet, make sure to open up the pokedex to get its information. I have spent almost my whole adult life studying Pokemon, but I'm getting on in years and can't do field research like I used to. If you manage to fill up the pokedex with every known pokemon, I will have a special award for you."

The four kids nodded, signifying they understood.

"Hey, Gramps. If we are done here, I'd like to go ahead and start my journey. My cheerleaders are waiting in the car," Gary said, returning Squirtle to its pokeball.

"Wait a second, Gary. You have cheerleaders?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Of course, Ash. They are going to follow me around and see what a real trainer from Pallet Town is like! Not that I would expect you to have any fans, except for those two," Gary sneered, gesturing to Leaf and Serena with his thumb, causing them both to blush.

Seeing Ash's angry expression, Gary's sneer turned into a genuine smile. "Hey, I was just kidding Ashy-boy. Despite the things I said, I really do wish you luck in your journey and training that Pikachu. Just at least try to keep up with me," he said.

"Yeah. Thanks, Gary. You, too," Ash said, rather surprised that his biggest rival was actually wishing him luck.

Gary then turned to Leaf and Serena. "The same goes for you two, also. Leaf, as much as you love to explore, I believe you will have no trouble filling up that pokedex. Serena, I expect to see amazing things from you also. You will be a great Pokemon trainer and be ready for the Indigo League in no time!"

"Yeah. Thanks, Gary," Serena said nervously. Only her mother and Leaf knew that Serena hadn't chosen her goal yet. Sure, she liked Pokemon battles, but she still couldn't understand why so many people thought she was going to compete in the Indigo League over everything else.

Gary then turned to leave. "Well, I'm outta here. Hey, gramps. Tell my family I said bye. I'll give them a call when I get to Viridian." Then, with a small wave, he walked out of the room.

"We should probably be leaving as well. I promised my mom and dad that I would stop by before I left," Leaf said. She then turned to Bulbasaur. "Are you ready Bulbasaur?" she asked, receiving a nod from the grass-type Pokemon.

"Yeah. I have to go by my house also," Serena said.

"Alright. Let's all walk back together," Ash suggested. He then turned to Pikachu. "Hey, Pikachu. I'm going home to introduce you to my mom. I promise you that she isn't a bad person. Are you ready?" he asked.

Pikachu pondered on it for just a moment. The boy seemed okay so far, so that must mean his mom can't be that bad of a person either. "Pika," it said, nodding its head.

"Okay. Let's go!" Ash said enthusiastically as he pumped his fist into the air.

As the trio and their Pokemon left the room, they waved good-bye to Professor Oak. "Take care of yourselves, you hear! Keep in touch!" he called after them.

"We will!" they answered.

As they neared the exit to the lab, Ash said to Leaf and Serena, "Do you two think it's true what Gary said about having cheerleaders and a car?"

"He had to bluffing. You know how cocky he can get. No ten year old should be able to have their own car and personal fan club just like that." Serena answered.

Once they opened the door, they were met by a whole bunch of noise and cheering. On the side of the road in front of Professor Oak's lab, they saw at least a dozen cheerleaders, complete with the uniform, who were chanting Gary's name again and again. There were also at least one hundred fellow residents of Pallet Town in a line cheering just as hard. Beside them, parked on the side of the road, was a flashy red convertible.

"Gary! Gary! He's the best! Gary! Gary! Beats the rest!" they cheered as Gary passed them and got in the car. As soon as he was in, all the cheerleaders piled in behind him making a really tight fit. The cheerleader that would be driving the car then turned it on and sped off down the road. Some of the people in the crowd dispersed while others chased after the vehicle.

Ash, Serena, Leaf, and their Pokemon stood dumbfounded for a moment before sweat dropping.

"Uh, never mind," Serena said.

* * *

"Hey, Mom! I'm back!" Ash called as he and Pikachu entered his house.

"I'm in the kitchen, sweetie! I'm just finishing up with the dishes!" Delia answered back.

Ash then knelt down so he was eye level with Pikachu and said, "Okay Pikachu. I promise you my mother is a good person, but if she tries to hold you, I have to ask you to save your thundershock for me and not her. Deal?"

Pikachu figured that as acceptable and nodded "Pi!"

They then walked into the kitchen just as Delia was stacking the last plate in the cabinet. She was still in her white apron and yellow rubber gloves and had her back turned to him. "So what kind of Pokemon did you end up getting?" she asked as she took off her gloves and began wiping her hands.

"I got the best one of them all, Mom! A Pikachu!" Ash stated proudly.

"You got a Pikachu? I thought the starters were Charmander, Bulbasaur, or Squirtle." Ash's mom said in confusion before turning around to face Ash and Pikachu.

"They are, but they were already chosen by Serena, Leaf, and Gary since I volunteered to go last. So then Professor Oak decided to give me this Pikachu. He told me that it has been abused in the past and trusted me to care for it and be its trainer," Ash replied.

"Oh, okay then," Delia said. She then walked across kitchen to Pikachu and knelt down. "Hello there, Pikachu," she said giving Pikachu a kind smile.

Pikachu tilted its head to the side and stared curiously at Delia. He could already sense that this also wasn't a bad human at all. She had a very kind and caring wave around her, the same one it could feel with Ash. It finally gave a smile back at Delia. "Pikachu!" it said, giving Delia a wave with one of its small arms.

"Aww, you are a cutie, aren't you?" Delia said happily as she reached out to rub Pikachu's head.

Ash watched the scene nervously. The previous incident when Pikachu was touched without permission was still fresh in his mind. He hoped Pikachu would be able to keep its promise not to shock his mom. Ash braced himself for what might be a nasty scene, but to his great relief, Pikachu didn't shock Delia when she began to rub head. Pikachu even seemed to be enjoying it!

"Chaaaaa," Pikachu cooed under Delia's soft touch.

"Hmm hmm!" Delia chuckled softly as she finished. She then stood up and faced her son.

"Alright, Ash. I've already got you packed up. I've got a backpack full of some things you may need for your journey," she told him as she walked out of the kitchen into the living room, her son and Pikachu following her.

Once they entered the living room, Delia walked over to the couch where a green backpack with several pockets and zippers was laying on top of it. She picked it up and turned to face Ash. "Okay, sweetie. I just want to go over some of the things I packed for you before you set out," she said.

"Sure, Mom," Ash replied. He wasn't prepared for the barrage of things his mom was about to list.

"Here," she began, "I have a fresh change of clothes if your current ones get dirty. I packed a few snacks in case you get hungry. I packed a jacket in case you get cold. Here is your sleeping bag since I imagine you will be sleeping outside some nights. Here are some nice rubber gloves and a water keg so you can do your laundry and dishes. Here is a thermometer so you can take your temperature. I also got Tylenol, cough syrup, your toothbrush and toothpaste, a few bars of soap, and….."

"Mom! Okay! I get it! Thanks a lot!" Ash said embarrassedly as Pikachu watched curiously. Ash knew only a mom would be able to pack all those things in such a small backpack.

"Well, alright. I trust you," Delia sighed. She then gazed sadly at her son. She really would miss him while he was gone. She began to tear up. "Oh, Ash! I'm going to miss you!" Delia said as she embraced her son.

"I'll miss you too, Mom," Ash said back as he returned the hug.

Pikachu watched the heartwarming scene with interest. These two humans were not like any it had ever met before. They really did seem caring and friendly. Despite all the bad humans it has encountered in the past, these two had shown it there are good humans after all.

Ash and Delia soon let go and stared at each other for moment longer before Ash spoke up, "I gotta get going, Mom," I promised Serena and Leaf I would meet them at the street corner so we could say our goodbyes before separating. Are you ready Pikachu?"

"Pika Pika!" it said nodding its head.

"I understand. You wouldn't mind if I saw you off, would you?" Ash's mom asked hopefully.

"Of course not, Mom. Let's go!" Ash said, putting on his backpack and walking out the door, followed by Delia and Pikachu.

Ash, Delia, and Pikachu stepped outside and began walking toward the street. Ash turned around and paused. He wanted to take one last look at his home for ten years before he began his journey. He had so many great memories here. The aroma of his mother's cooking, his cozy room, he would miss it all.

"Ash?" Delia questioned, noticing her son's almost sad expression.

"Nothing, Mom. I'm fine," Ash answered. He then closed his eyes and turned around, continuing on his way.

* * *

As Ash, Delia, and Pikachu were approaching the street corner, they could see Serena and Leaf were already waiting for them. Leaf had brought her bike. She was clearly going to use it for quicker travel on her journey. They likewise had their mothers as well, Grace, Serena's mom, and Rose, Leaf's mom. All four waved when they caught sight of them.

"It's about time you got here, Ash! Do you know how long we've been waiting?" Leaf asked playfully with her hands on her hips.

"Sorry," Ash chuckled. "I just wanted to have one last look around my house before I left. I won't be here for a while, after all."

"Now you aren't going to get homesick, are you? As a Pokemon trainer, you have to stay strong," Leaf said firmly.

"Oh really!? As if you won't miss home," Rose interrupted her daughter. "You were crying in your father's and my arms for three minutes at our house just now." Leaf was almost an exact copy of her mother. The only real difference was Rose's hair was darker, and she had a different shade of brown to her eyes than Leaf's.

"Mom!" Leaf said embarrassedly, turning beet red and causing the others to laugh.

"So are we all ready to part ways?" Ash asked the group once they finished laughing.

"Yeah. I think I'm good," Leaf said

Serena wasn't ready, however. She had no idea where to even begin for this journey. She still didn't know what she wanted to do, and she was about to be away from everyone who had given her support so far. She knew if she went by herself, she would never succeed at this. She knew her mother was afraid of this happening. Perhaps if she, Ash, and Leaf traveled together, they would be able to support each other, and she could find inspiration along the way. Not to mention she would miss her friends, particularly Ash, if she was alone.

"Hey, guys," Serena said nervously, causing the others to turn to her, "What if we went on this journey together? That way, we could still be together and support each other." She hoped they would agree.

"That would be great, Serena!" Ash exclaimed, much to her relief. He then turned to Pikachu. "Hey Pikachu, does that sound okay to you? We can have more friends so we aren't by ourselves!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed. Both Serena and Leaf seemed to be okay. It decided it could tolerate them there as long as Ash was around.

"Oh that's a wonderful idea!" Grace said, clapping her hands together. Delia and Rose agreed.

"Leaf! Are you in?" Ash asked, turning to her.

Leaf looked nervously at the ground, shuffling her feet. "Actually, as fun as that sounds, I really want to do this journey by myself. I feel that if I can explore all of Kanto and go at my own pace, I can get more out of the experience."

"Well, you are definitely my daughter," Rose said smiling. "Always being independent."

"Oh, that's too bad," Ash said a little disappointedly, but then brightened a little. "I guess it's just you and me, Serena."

Serena nodded. She may not be able to travel with Leaf, but at least she will have Ash. Just she and Ash. Her crush. Traveling. Together. Serena's cheeks turned red at thought.

"Uh, Serena? Are you okay?" Ash asked unsurely, causing the others in the group to facepalm. How could Ash be so dense sometimes?!

"Well, I'm going to go ahead and get going," Leaf said drawing the attention back to her. She gave her mom one last hug before having a group hug with Ash and Serena. Their parents smiled at how close they all were.

"Now Serena. You better keep me up to date with how Ash is! If he ever treats you poorly, just let me know. I'll take care of him!" Leaf said playfully with a wink.

"Hee hee, don't worry I will," Serena giggled.

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Ash replied, smiling. He then said to Serena, "We are going to have a blast, aren't we?"

"Absolutely!" Serena said.

Leaf then got on her bike. "Well, I'll see all of you later! Take care, and keep in touch!" With a final wave, she was off.

Everyone continued to watch Leaf until she disappeared around a corner. Ash then turned to Serena. "Hey. We should get going as well."

"Yeah," Serena answered. She then gave one last hug to her mom. "Bye, mom," she said

"Good bye, dear," Grace said. She then whispered in her daughter's ear, "I know you will figure out what you want to do. I have faith in you."

"Thanks, Mom," Serena said gratefully.

"And good luck with Ash, too," Grace whispered before pulling away and looking at her daughter mischievously, which caused Serena to turn red again.

Ash then gave Delia another hug. "I'll miss you, Mom," he said.

"Me, too. Make sure you two keep in touch with us," Delia said as they pulled away.

"Don't worry. We will," Ash replied. "Well, are you ready?" he asked Serena, receiving a nod. "Pikachu, what about you?" he asked, receiving a nod and "Pikachu!" as confirmation that Pikachu was ready also.

"Now Ash," Grace said seriously, getting his attention. "I want you to look out for Serena for me. I want you to make sure she stays safe. Can I trust you with that?"

"Absolutely! I won't let you down, Mrs. Gabena!" Ash said.

Then with a final nod to their parents and Rose, they turned around and began to walk away.

"_Here we go," _Serena thought._ "I'm really nervous right now. I may not know what I want at the moment, but I soon will. I can do it. I have Ash and Charla with me, after all. I'll make them and my mother proud! And maybe along the way…"_she gave quick glance at Ash and blushed, but he was too busy looking ahead to notice.

Ash had his own thoughts that were going through his mind as well._ "This is it. I'm going to be the very best, like no one ever was! Pikachu and I will make an amazing team! Together with it and Serena, I can overcome any obstacle! Look out world!" _Ash was really pumped. He had been waiting for this day a long time. Now he was going to show the world what he was made of. Nothing was going to stop him now! He was excited! He was ready! He was determined! He felt powerful! He was…..

"Don't forget to change your you-know-whats every day, honey!" Delia called after him.

Ash fell over in embarrassment.

* * *

**And there you have it! Please leave a review to tell me what you think! If it wasn't obvious enough, Rose is based off Green in Pokemon Adventures, but I couldn't use that name since it's Leaf's last name. **

** I will be very busy the rest of this week and the next, so the next chapter may not appear until two weeks from now. If I can get it up earlier than that, I will. Stay tuned!**

**Chapter 4: The Route to Viridian City**

**Answering the questions:**

_I'm wondering are you going to adapt the movies in your story. Also, what about unova you mention doing gen 1-4, but not 5._

_**I will adapt the movies that I believe to be relevant to the story. The first and second movies will definitely happen, the third one won't, the fourth one won't since I have my own Celebi story planned with the GS ball in Johto (which the anime forgot about), the others are too far off to tell. And no I don't plan to do Unova, mainly because I didn't watch that season a lot and I thought it was step back in Ash's Pokemon journey with how he did. "IF" I did do Unova, there will be a lot changed. Ash would be mature and his Pikachu would crush a beginning Snivy for starters. That isn't to say Iris and Cilan won't appear in this series at some point.**_

_Will Ash use Aura?_

_**Sadly no. At least not for very long time except when he uses it in the anime. Aura will be in the last story when he realizes how to use it, though. You guys will just have to wait until then.**_

_Will Ash catch legendaries?_

_**He might have a few but not capture any super legendaries (i.e. Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-oh, Deoxys, Arceus, etc…) since that's a little unrealistic anime-wise. He will befriend them all, however. **_

_When will Ash and Serena start dating? I hope it is not a long, drawn out dance between them._

_**It will be sometime before the Johto Arc, but I won't say when. They have to let their relationship develop. Mainly Ash has to lose his denseness and Serena's feelings have to go beyond a crush. They can't do that at ten years old. Yes, that means the characters will actually age, lol. There will be several hints and moments between them before they actually start dating, however. I also have a very shippy chapter planned out in Kanto that I am very eager to get to. This is an Amourshipping story, after all, lol.**_

_Will Serena be his constant companion throughout the regions and will she be a coordinator or a gym trainer?_

_**Absolutely! She will definitely be his constant companion. No doubt. As for what Serena will be, I won't say just yet. It will be revealed before long, however. Hopefully you guys will be pleased with and accept what I have chosen.**_

_Will they go to Kalos and will they use Generation VI starting off?_

_**Nope. No Kalos region. Otherwise my brain will explode from story overload. Sorry. Will there be mega evolution in this series? You betcha!**_

_Just out of curiosity, but will you have an arc around the Orange Islands or will you go straight to Johto once you've finished the Kanto arc?_

_**There will certainly be an Orange Islands Arc. I won't be near as long as the other stories in the series, however.**_

_Umm, I don't mean anything wrong I'm just wondering if you know there are more than 8 gyms in each region._

_**Yes. I'm aware in the anime there are more than eight gyms in each region. Gary Freaking Oak got ten after all in Kanto. In this story, however, there are eight like in the games for easier handling.**_


	4. The Route to Viridian City

**A/N: Well, what do you know? I found enough free time this week to go ahead and post this chapter a week earlier than anticipated. There isn't much else for me to say except, "Enjoy the chapter!" **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all about Pokemon!**

**Edit: I want to apologize. I accidentally uploaded the rough draft version of chapter 4 originally hence the many mistakes that were in it. Thankfully I caught it by the first night. Here is the proofread version which should give you a more enjoyable read.**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Route to Viridian City

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu were walking along Route One. It had been about two hours since they had left Pallet Town. It had been pretty uneventful so far, with just small talk between Ash and Serena and the occasional "PikaPi!" from Pikachu. They hadn't seen any Pokemon yet to try and capture. The casual pace they were taking were leaving each to their own thoughts.

Pikachu was especially intrigued by its new trainer. So far, Ash had kept his promise to treat it just like a friend. The boy was truly unique for a human. He seemed to really care about Pokemon and his friends. Pikachu turned to glance at its trainer. Ash and Serena noticed and gave a grin back at the Pokemon. Yes, Pikachu could trust that Ash was indeed the kind person he made himself out to be. He was the key that would allow Pikachu to open up to humans again. Serena certainly didn't seem like a bad person either, but it was still slightly wary of her.

"How are you guys holding up?" Ash asked Serena and Pikachu, snapping the Pokemon out of its thoughts.

"We've been walking for a while and my feet are beginning to hurt. Can we take a short break?" Serena asked. Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Sure this field looks like a nice place to sit down for bit," Ash replied as he stopped and set down his backpack. The others following suit.

Ash sat down and unzipped his backpack, pulling out one of the snacks his mom had packed for him, a granola bar. Serena also sat down and released Charla. It immediately went over to Pikachu and began to converse with it.

"So Serena, what made you decide to become a Pokemon trainer? You've never told me," Ash said as he took a bite out of his granola bar.

Serena sighed. She knew she couldn't hide the truth from Ash forever, so now would be as good (or bad) a time as any.

"Ash, there's something I have to tell you," Serena began. "The truth is….I don't really want to be a Pokemon trainer like you." I don't have any interest in collecting badges or entering the Pokemon League.

"Really?" Ash asked, taking another bite. "Well, that's no problem. There are a lot of people who don't want to become trainers. So which do you want to do? Coordinator, breeder, or…"

"I think you misunderstood me, Ash," Serena interrupted, also getting the attention of Pikachu and Charmander. "The thing is…I don't know what I want to do!"

"You don't?" Ash asked, clearly surprised. "Yet you still came on a Pokemon journey?"

"Yes, I did," Serena said embarrassedly.

"Why?" Ash asked

"It's because all of you were leaving this year: You, Leaf, Gary. I didn't want to be by myself again. Also, I was hoping that by coming with one of you, I could figure out my goal along the way. You must think I'm being pretty ridiculous. Coming without a goal," Serena said gloomily as she buried her face her hands. She was surprised to feel a comforting hand lay on her shoulder. She looked up to see Ash smiling warmly at her.

"No. It's not stupid," Ash said. "Wanting to be with your friends and finding your goal is only natural. To tell you the truth, I probably would have done the same thing if I were in your position."

"Really?" Serena asked. "You don't think I'm being selfish or anything?"

"No," Ash said, shaking his head. "If you don't know what you want to do yet, it's okay. There are some people who may take years to figure out what they want, and that's fine. I know one day you will figure out your goal, and I'll stay by you until you do. Once you figure it out, you can bet I'll be there to support you every step of the way!"

Serena stared up in surprise at Ash. Once again, he had proven his kindness by not being angry or confused as she expected. He was being so understanding and supportive.

"Thank you, Ash. Really," Serena said gratefully.

"No problem! What are friends for?" Ash asked, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Heh, heh. Right, friends," Serena said nervously and blushed.

Pikachu and Charmander sweatdropped. For as kind as Ash was, he sure was dense. To his credit, he was only ten, so it was to be expected. The two Pokemon still thought it was funny that they hadn't even known their trainers long, and even they thought it was obvious how Serena felt about Ash.

"Hey! Let's make a promise to stay together until the end and always look out for each other!" Ash said as he stuck out his hand. "Pikachu and Charla, are you guys in as well?"

"Charmander!" Charla said enthusiastically as it ran forward and placed its hand on Ash's hand. Pikachu hesitated for just little bit but still ran forward and placed its paw on the others. Serena almost felt tears come to her eyes as she saw how supportive everyone was.

"Alright! Let's do it!" she said as she placed her hand on everyone else's.

"Then it's settled!" Ash said as they broke off.

The scene was interrupted by the sound of flapping wings above their heads. They looked up and saw a tiny bird Pokemon fly above them and land about fifty feet away. It was slightly plump and had a brown colored body and cream colored stomach. It had a pink beak and pink talons. A couple of others came and landed by it.

"Oh! Pidgey!" Ash said excitedly as he and Serena pulled out their Pokedexes to scan it.

"Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokemon. Pidgey is mild-mannered and gentle. It is a good way for beginning trainers to test their skills." The poxedexes said in their monotone, robotic voice.

"Awesome! What do say we catch one, Serena? Ash said as he looked over at Serena.

"No. That's okay. I'd rather see you try to catch a Pokemon first before I attempt to," Serena replied.

"Well. Alright then," Ash said as he turned towards the PIdgey again. Pikachu and Charmander looked on with interest.

Ash pulled out his Pokeball and got a serious look on his face. He turned his Pokemon League hat backwards. "Pokeball, go!" he shouted as he threw it forward.

The pokeball soared through the air towards Pidgey. The Pokemon saw the incoming pokeball just before it connected. Ash smiled as the ball made a direct it. It then released a red energy that sucked Pidgey inside before landing on the ground. The pokeball shook back and forth a few times before it opened back up and released Pidgey.

"Woo, woo!" Pidgey hooted before disappearing inside a bush.

"What?" Ash said in confusion as Serena let out a sigh.

"Pokemon need to be battled and weakened before being captured," the pokedex suddenly spoke up.

Ash mentally kicked himself for forgetting something so basic. Pikachu couldn't help but snicker at its trainer for his naivety. Ash glared at Pikachu.

"Ha, ha, Pikachu! I'm sure it's hilarious. Let's see you battle Pidgey," Ash said.

"Pika Pi," Pikachu shook its head as it continued to snicker. It was enjoying this way too much.

"Alright, fine! Just you watch! I'll capture Pidgey by myself!" Ash said as he pulled his blanket out of his backpack and marched towards the other Pidgey.

"Wait, Ash. I don't think that's such a good idea," Serena said, trying to stop him.

"It's alright, Serena! I'll be fine!" Ash replied, turning around and smiling.

Serena nodded but was still concerned as she watched Ash turn back around to the Pidgey.

As Ash approached one of the Pidgey, it turned around to look at him, giving him a curious expression, wondering what Ash was going to do.

"Hi there," Ash said in a gentle tone so as not to startle the Pidgey. They continued to stare back and forth at each other for about fifteen seconds before Ash made his move.

"You're mine, Pidgey!" Ash yelled as he brought the blanket down on the Pokemon and covered it to hold it in place.

Pidgey began to stuggle violently trying to break free, but Ash was holding on tight. "Come on, Pidgey. Stop squirming! Ash said, gritting his teeth.

Soon, Ash felt something strange building up in the blanket. It kept building up until what looked like a huge gust of air came out of the blanket, lifting both Ash and the blanket off the ground and throwing them a short distance away. Pidgey had used its gust attack. It then flew away.

"Are you alright, Ash?! Serena said with worry as she and Charmander ran over and helped Ash back to his feet.

"Uh, yeah," Ash said, a little dazed.

Pikachu was now laughing hysterically. It couldn't believe that this kid thought he could just tackle a Pidgey with a blanket and get it like that. Ash sure could provide it with some good laughs. It was liking him more every minute.

"Man, this is harder than I thought," Ash said. "There's got to be something that will weaken it."

"Wait a minute, Ash. Where is your blanket?" Serena asked.

"Oh yeah, it flew out of my hands when that PIdgey used gust on me," Ash remembered as he began to look around.

He then spotted it a short distance away. It was clearly covering something. It appeared to be around the same size and shape as a Pidgey, but something was telling Ash that it wasn't one. Ash walked over to the blanket and cautiously picked it up, uncovering what was underneath, and he gasped.

Sure enough, as Ash expected, it wasn't a Pidgey. It was something much worse, a Spearow. Judging by its expression, it clearly was not happy. Boy, did he mess up.

"Uh, hey there, Spearow. Sorry about that. I'm sure it wasn't very pleasant to have that blanket fall on you like that and interrupting whatever it was you were doing. It was an accident. Are we good?" Ash said in an attempt to calm the ticked-off Pokemon.

Serena took out her pokedex and scanned the Spearow. "Spearow, the tiny bird Pokemon. Unlike the gentle Pidgey, Spearow are very aggressive and have a ferocious temper," the pokedex said.

"Ash! Be careful!" Serena warned.

Pikachu was no longer laughing as it watched the scene with worry. It knew the type of danger that Ash was in right now.

Ash began to back away very slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements. Spearow was keeping its angry expression and not taking its eyes off Ash.

"_Just keep backing away slowly,"_ Ash thought to himself. Then, to his great misfortune, his right foot caught a large rock which caused him to stumble backwards and fall on his bottom.

Ash falling seemed to have set Spearow off like a time bomb. It gave a shriek, took flight, and immediately began to charge at Ash.

"Woah!" Ash said as he threw the blanket over himself to be protected from Spearow. It reached Ash and began to mercilessly peck at him.

"Ouch! Hey! Quit it, Spearow!" Ash said from underneath the blanket, grimacing from the pain.

"Oh no! We've got to help him!" Serena gasped. He had helped her in the past. Now it was time she helped him! She then turned to her Charmander. "Charla, use your ember attack on the Spearow."

Charla then opened its mouth and shot out several tiny embers from its mouth. They made a direct hit. Spearow cried out from the pain. Then its attention shifted to Serena and Charla.

"Spearow!" it screeched as it charged toward Serena and Charla.

"No!" Ash said as he threw off his blanket and began running as fast as he could move to them.

Serena and Charla stood frozen in fear. There wasn't enough time for Serena to call out an attack and have Charla obey before Spearow reached them.

"Ahhh!" Serena screamed as she crouched and covered her body as best as she could with her arms to brace herself for the impact.

"Pikachuuuuu!"

Serena looked up to see Pikachu jump over her and release a thundershock at Spearow. It struck Spearow directly. Spearow screeched again as it was shocked and fell to the ground, clearly exhausted.

Serena breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, Pikachu."

"Are you okay, Serena?" Ash asked as he reached her.

"Yeah, I'm okay, but what about you, Ash? You suffered a lot of attacks from that Spearow, and you're bleeding!" she gasped once she saw the trickles of blood coming from Ash.

"I'll be fine," he said. "It's nothing some disinfectant and a couple of bandages won't fix. I'm more worried about you. When I saw that Spearow charge you, I became so scared that you would get hurt. If you were hurt while I was around, I don't know what I would do."

Serena felt a great rush of affection for Ash by what he said. He didn't even care that he was hurt just along as she was safe. "I'm fine, Ash. Thank you," she said. "Why don't we get you cleaned up before continuing on? I'll get the first aid kit my mom packed."

"Alright. Thanks," Ash said. He then turned to Pikachu. "You were awesome, Pikachu! Thanks for helping Serena."

"PikaPi!" Pikachu said as it smiled and nodded its head.

"Spearow! Spearow!"

The sudden cry of the Spearow brought everyone's attention back to it. It was continually crying out to all the surrounding trees in the field.

"Oh no! It's calling for help! Ash gasped.

Sure enough, a huge flock of Spearow came out of the trees and began making a beeline straight towards the group.

"Let's get out here! We've got to make a run for it!" Ash said as he grabbed his backpack.

Serena quickly grabbed her things as well. Then she, Ash, and Pikachu, and Charla took off running as fast as they could.

"This is just great!" Ash exclaimed as they continued to run. "We've only been trainers for a few hours, and we are already getting into trouble!"

"Let's just keep running! Maybe we can outrun them!" Serena said hopefully.

Ash looked behind them. He didn't count on it. The Spearow gaining on them pretty fast. They passed by a few kinds of various Pokemon. All were stopping what they were doing to observe the scene with interest.

"Maybe there is some way we can lose them! There's got to be some type of cover!" Ash said as they looked around. It was no good. They were on a completely open road.

"Ash! They're almost to us!" Serena yelled.

Ash turned around again, and sure enough, the Spearow were just behind them. Ash was quickly trying to think of something. He knew fighting was no good. There was no way that only two Pokemon could take on the hundred or so angry Spearow that were chasing them.

Pikachu and Charla were running a few yards behind Ash and Serena so the Spearow reached them first. As soon as the Spearow reached them they began to use their peck attack relentlessly on the two Pokemon. They began to cry out from the pain.

"Oh no! Charla! Return!" Serena cried as she stopped and quickly reached for her pokeball and returned the Pokemon.

Ash knew Pikachu hated pokeballs, so he knew he had knew he had no choice but to fight his way through the Spearow to reach it. "Pikachu! I'm coming!" Ash yelled as he made a U turn and dashed towards his distressed Pokemon.

"Cha! Cha!" Pikachu cried as it continued to be attacked.

"Pikachu! I'm here!" Ash said as reached Pikachu and scooped it up in his arms. He then fought off a few of the Spearow that were beginning to attack him also. Then he and Serena resumed running.

It wasn't much longer before Ash and Serena began to tire out. They didn't know how much longer they could go on. The Spearow, on the hand, still seemed fired up and ready to pursue the two for long time. To make matters worse, they reached a dead end at a cliff. They were trapped.

"What do we do now?!" Serena said as she looked at Ash in panic, hoping he at least had some idea.

Ash looked down below the cliff and saw a river below. It was a long shot, but he knew they had no other choice. "We have to jump!" he said.

"Are you serious?!" Serena asked in disbelief.

"Yes! It's our only choice! Just hold on tight!" Ash said as he wrapped his arm around Serena's waist.

Ash made sure he had a firm grip on Pikachu in his left arm and Serena in his right before shouting, "Okay let's go!" Then they both jumped towards the water below.

The Spearow watched, momentarily confused, but their vicious nature wasn't going to let them get away that easily. They decided to wait and use their keen eyes to see if the humans would resurface. Then they would continue their pursuit.

Ash and Serena landed in the water pretty hard, but it wasn't too painful. Ash let go of Serena and began to swim to the best of his ability despite his injuries and Pikachu in one arm. Serena was doing the same. They passed by various fish Pokemon as they continued to swim to the surface but their clothes became tangled around something, a line of some sort.

* * *

A young girl was fishing by the river. Her day had been fairly uneventful so far. Needless to say, she was pretty bored. Her name was Misty Waterflower, and she was ten years old. She had red hair that was tied into a side ponytail and blue eyes. She wore and yellow t-shirt, blue jean shorts with red straps that went over the shirt, and red tennis shoes. She was from Cerulean City, but currently was not living there due to family issues. Instead, she was just traveling by herself in the hopes to prove herself to her family.

Misty let out a sigh. "I'm so bored right now. I wish I could catch something."

Just then, right on cue, she felt a tug on her fishing rod. Judging by how hard the tug was, it felt like a big one. "Oh my gosh! I must have hit the jackpot!" Misty exclaimed as she pulled with all her might.

To her surprise, it wasn't a Pokemon that soared out of the water, it was instead two kids, a boy and a girl. "Aww, it was just some kids," Misty said in disappointment. Her face then lit up when she saw a Pikachu in the boy's arms. She ran up to them. "Oh, and a Pokemon! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Thanks," Ash said, panting. He then felt a slap go across his cheek. He looked up at the stranger in surprise.

"Not you! The Pokemon! Look what you've done to it!" Misty shouted.

"We didn't do this to it!" Ash said defensively.

Serena's face turned red from anger. This was some nerve this girl had. It was fine that this girl was worried about Pikachu, but it wouldn't hurt if she was concerned about her and Ash's well-being also, and she was even accusing them of hurting Pikachu. Not to mention, Serena thought the slap she gave Ash was pretty uncalled for. If Serena wasn't so tired, she would probably go into total sass-mode right now with this girl.

"Then how could you let it get hurt like that!?" Misty shouted again.

Ash felt he had no need or the time to explain themselves to this girl who had done nothing but shout at them so far. "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is getting my Pikachu somewhere safe. Do you know where I can take it?" he asked.

"Humph! Well, you're in luck. There's a Pokemon center in Viridian City a few miles from here. You can heal your Pikachu there." she told them, pointing in the direction to Viridian City.

"Great! Thanks!" Ash said. He was about to take off, but something caught his eye. It was a bicycle.

"Perfect! Hey, Serena! We can use this bike!" Ash said, gesturing to it.

"Hey! You can't use it! That's my bike!" Misty exclaimed

Everyone then heard the sound of screeching and wing flapping again. They turned around to see the flock of Spearow again. Ash and Serena couldn't believe it. These Spearow were still chasing them!

"Man, these guys are persistent!" Ash said in disbelief. "We gotta go!

He then ran towards the bike and put Pikachu in the basket and hopped on himself. Luckily, the bicycle had a pair of pegs on it so Serena could ride as well. She got onto them and grasped her hands tightly on Ash's shoulders to keep her balance. She felt no qualms about "borrowing" this girl's bike because of the way she treated them.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Misty called out as they sped off.

"We'll give it back some day!" Ash said over his shoulder.

Misty seethed as they disappeared from view. How dare they take her bike without her permission! She would make sure she would meet those two again, and her bike better still be in good condition, too.

As Misty watched the Spearow fly overhead, she could also tell a storm was coming in. She would need to find shelter pretty quickly. She did secretly hope that those two kids and their Pikachu could make it to Viridian City safely.

* * *

Ash was peddling as hard as he could toward along the path. After fleeing from the Spearow for so long, Ash was becoming extremely tired. "Don't worry, Pikachu. We will be in Viridian City in no time. Then we can heal both you and Serena's Charmander!"

Pikachu gave a weak nod before it felt drips of water on its face. It was beginning to rain.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Ash exclaimed as it began pouring rain.

Now that it was raining, it was becoming very hard for Serena to stay on the pegs. They were becoming slippery which was causing her to lose her balance. She gave a death grip on Ash's shoulders, trying to stay on. Ash grimaced at the pain, but he didn't care. They had to make it to Viridian City.

"Ash! I'm losing my balance!" Serena cried as she began to slip.

"Just hold on Serena! You can't fall! Ash said as he turned around.

Unfortunately for them, because Ash had turned around, he didn't see the drop off ahead of them. They rode straight off the ledge and tumbled onto the ground six feet below.

The bike landed hard. The impact caused all of the bike's passengers to fly of the bike and onto the ground in pain. The bike bounced again and landed a short distance away.

Ash was momentarily dazed, but he soon came to and saw Serena and Pikachu a few yards away on their backs. They were in obvious pain. "No. Serena. Pikachu. This can't…happen," he said weakly.

The huge tumble the trio took was all the Spearow needed to catch back up to them. They hovered in the air behind them and screeched as thunder cracked behind them.

Ash got a determined look on his face. He had made a promise to Serena's mother to look after her, and promised to protect Pikachu. He had failed in that, but there was something he could still do to make sure they could get away.

"Serena, listen to me," Ash said as he shakily stood up, Serena following suit. "I want you to take Pikachu and run! Don't stop until you get to Viridian City! I'll hold off the Spearow!"

"Ash! Are you crazy!? Those Spearow could seriously hurt or kill you! Serena exclaimed.

"I don't care! You guys are really important to me, and there's no way I'm going to let any of you be hurt because of me!" Ash said firmly.

He then turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu. I'm so sorry I failed you as a trainer. I swore to keep you safe from danger, and I couldn't even keep that promise for one day. I understand if you never want to see me again. I still want you to do one last thing for me." Ash said. "I need you to get inside your pokeball."

"Chuuuu…." Pikachu shook its head slowly.

"I know you're scared, but if you get inside the pokeball and go with Serena, I know that you two will be safe, and that's good enough for me." Ash said as he set the pokeball next to Pikachu.

He then turned around and slowly approached the flock of Spearow, grimacing from the amount of pain he was in. "No, Ash!" he heard Serena yell from behind him, but he ignored it. He then stopped a short distance away from the Spearow and spread his arms out defiantly.

"Spearow! Do you know who I am? I am Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet. I'm destined to be the world's greatest Pokemon trainer. I can't be defeated by the likes of you." he said.

Ash then turned his head back to Serena and Pikachu. "Go on. You guys need to get out of here. Hurry!" Seeing they weren't moving, he then yelled "Go!" before turning around to face the Spearow again.

"I'm going to capture and defeat every last one of you! Do you hear me!?" he yelled at the Spearow.

Pikachu raised its head off the ground and watched Ash with amazement. It had never had trainer like Ash before. Ash was definitely the type of trainer Pikachu was looking for. Ash had proven he would risk his own life for Pikachu, and that really touched it. It was then Pikachu decided it would remain by Ash's side until the very end.

"Come and get me!" Ash yelled, as lightning flashed.

The flock of Spearow then gave a mighty shriek and dive-bombed straight for Ash.

Serena stood still as she watched helplessly. Ash had told her that as long as she and Pikachu was safe, he would fine. That wasn't fine for Serena, though. Ash had always been there for her in the past to help her. There was no way on Earth she was going to abandon Ash like this! She will not! She then got a determined look on her face. She was sick of being the damsel in distress. It may be raining, she may be injured, and Charla may be too weak to fight, but that doesn't mean she couldn't do anything!

"Ash!" she screamed as she ran towards him as fast as she could.

The Spearow continued to charge. Ash didn't care. He still stood defiantly with arms out. Serena continued to run forward. She was determined get her crush out of the way even if she put herself in the danger. Too her surprise, she saw a small creature run past her. It was Pikachu!

Pikachu continued to run forward, it ran up Ash's backside then onto his shoulder. Ash didn't even have time to cry out in surprise before Pikachu leaped off of his shoulder and into the air. While it was in the air, a lightning bolt struck Pikachu, giving it a super charge. Ash and Serena watched in amazement.

"PIKACHUUUUUU!" it yelled as it let off a massive thunderbolt attack, hitting all of the Spearow and blasting Ash and Serena back a few yards. Everything in the area was hit by the attack.

"Uhhh…" Ash groaned as he regained consciousness. He could tell he had been out for a while as the thunderstorm was now gone, replaced by sunshine. The Spearow were nowhere to be seen either. Ash let out a sigh of relief, but he soon let out a gasp as he remembered Serena and Pikachu. Pushing himself up with hands, and looking around he saw them both lying flat on their backs a short distance away.

"Serena! Pikachu!" he cried as he crawled over to them and began to gently shake them. "Are you guys okay?!"

Pikachu was the first to regain consciousness. "Chuuuu" it said tiredly.

"Hey Pikachu. That was an incredibly amazing attack. Are you alright? Ash asked.

Pikachu weakly nodded its head back and forth. It was going to make it but still needed medical attention as quickly as possible.

"Ash…"

Ash turned at the voice and saw Serena slowly sitting up. "Serena, you're alright!?" Ash said as he gently picked up Pikachu and went over to her.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she said weakly. Then she began to cry.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Ash asked.

"It's you," Serena said in between tears. "You-you were being so reckless! Those Spearow could have killed you!"

"I know," Ash said hanging his head. "But as long as you and Pikachu were safe, that was enough."

"No it's not!" Serena said back, shaking her head. "Ash, when-whenever we agreed to travel together, we said we would look out for each other. Not just you looking out for us."

"Serena…." Ash trailed. He didn't know what to say.

"It's great that you care so much about us, Ash. That's just the kind of person you are," Serena continued, trying to dry her tears, "But don't forget that we care a lot for you, too. Me, Pikachu, Charla, we all do."

"I-I'm sorry." Ash said quietly.

Serena finished wiping her tears and gave Ash a very tender look and took one of his hands in hers. "You don't have to do this by yourself, Ash. Remember, we are all here for you. Remember the promise we made earlier? We are in this together until the end."

"You're right, Serena." Ash looked in his arms to see Pikachu slowly nodding its head, signifying it agreed with Serena. "I promise. Anything that happens to us, we will do together. No one will ever be left behind."

"Thank you, Ash." Serena said genuinely. She then felt her blush return and quickly turned away. "Anyway, we should go ahead and get going to Viridian City. We have to get Pikachu and Charla to the Pokemon Center." Had she been looking, she would have seen Ash's cheeks slightly red also. She then began to stand up, but something got her attention as she looked up into the sky.

"Ash, what's that?" Serena said as her eyes widened at a huge Pokemon flying above them. It looked so majestic and glowed the seven colors of the rainbow.

"Woooow." Ash said as he and Pikachu also looked in amazement.

"There is no data. There are still Pokemon that have yet to be discovered," the pokedex suddenly said from Ash's pocket.

Ash and Serena continued to watch the large Pokemon as it continued to fly. It soon disappeared over the horizon.

Ash and Serena looked at each other and smiled. They couldn't believe they had just seen a new Pokemon like that, and on their first day! They began to walk toward Viridian City and it wasn't long before they saw it in the distance. They would be there in just a little bit. Ash felt a small lick on his cheek. He looked down and saw it was Pikachu that did it. Ash's heart warmed considerably at the affectionate gesture from Pikachu. He had earned its trust.

As they began to continue towards Viridian City, Ash and Serena knew they would have a long road ahead of them. They knew after today that their path would be filled with many dangers, but also many happy times. They would meet unforgettable people and Pokemon alike. No matter what happened, though, they knew as long as they had each other and their Pokemon, there was no obstacle that they couldn't overcome.

* * *

**Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. There were a few amourshipping moments in this chapter and Ash and Serena's relationship has grown a little stronger because of the Spearow incident. Stay tuned for the next chapter in about a week! See you all then! One again, thank you for all the support you guys have given me so far!**

**Chapter 5: Pokemon Emergency!**

**Answering the Questions:**

_Will there be a jealousy arc or a charcter that will make Serena jealous? I think it would be intresting. _

_**As of right now, there will not be a full jealousy arc, in Kanto anyway, possibly the others. There may be few characters that will flirt with Ash and make Serena jealous, but there won't be a whole arc around it, if that makes any sense. **_

_When will you introduce Mega-Evolution to your story?_

_**Not until the Sinnoh Arc because that is when all the Pokemon I want in the story will be introduced. It will be mentioned in Hoenn, however.**_

_If I'm allowed to ask, would Ash have any more rivals to face here aside from Gary and Leaf, like Paul, Ritchie, Tyson...?_

_**Yes, he will! One may make an appearance sooner than you think!**_

_Hey, you say that you're going to keep close to cannon, does that mean Ash will only have cannon pokemon, or will he capture non cannon pokemon as well?_

_**Ash will capture all of his canon Pokemon and have few others as well, but not too much more. This way he can develop a bond with each of them, which is easier with fewer Pokemon.**_

_I understand you will not do Kalos or Unova but will you include their Pokemon (just placing them in other regions and their moves and also the Fairy type?_

_**I will try very hard to do this, but I won't make any promises yet.**_

_Can Ash catch an Eevee and evolve it into Espeon? And Serena could catch an eevee as well._

_**Only one of them will get an Eevee. I won't say who.**_

_You should have Ash catch a nidoran (male), and have Serena catch a nidoran (female)._

_**It's a thought that has been playing in my head for a bit now. It might happen.**_


	5. Pokemon Emergency!

**A/N: Well everyone, here is Chapter 5. Before you start, I would like to address a question many of you have mentioned: Yes, at the moment, Ash isn't making a lot of smart decisions, but remember, he is just starting his journey and has a lot to learn. He will become much smarter as he matures and ages. Don't worry, he still won't make any REALLY stupid decisions like he does in canon. For instance, send Caterpie out to battle Pidgeotto.**

**Also, in this chapter, Serena's interest will be revealed. I thought long and hard as to what it could be. If it isn't something you wanted, please don't flame me. I hope you guys will accept what I have chosen. Also, keep in mind, even if this is what Serena will do in Kanto, that isn't to say she will do it in the other regions. Maybe she will have a goal in the anime that I can work off of by then. **

**Anyway, enjoy chapter 5! :D**

**Do I really have keep disclaiming that I don't own Pokemon? I think I made it very clear by now.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Pokemon Emergency!

It was about six thirty in the evening right now. Ash and Serena had just arrived in Viridian City, Ash cradling Pikachu in his arms. As soon as they had entered the city limits, they broke out into a run for the nearest Pokemon Center. Ash was going for his Pikachu and Serena for her Charmander, Charla. They were in such a rush that they weren't paying attention to the announcements that were being made throughout the city.

"Everyone, be on your guard! There have been reports of Pokemon thieves in the city!" a female voice said throughout various intercoms in the city.

The female voice belonged to Officer Jenny. She was the main police officer of Viridian City. She had been working in the police force for fifteen years, and these thieves have been some of the most elusive she's ever had to try and catch. She was able to get a "Wanted" poster out for them, but their picture was a bad shot and really only got their silhouettes.

The thieves were said to be members of Team Rocket, the biggest crime organization in the Kanto region. Even the police force was constantly having trouble with Team Rocket. Team Rocket was said to be so dangerous that even if the police were able to find their main base, they would have an uphill battle trying to arrest them all.

Officer Jenny gave a sigh after giving the announcement. She just wished she could have some sort of lead to the crooks. It was then that she noticed two kids run by her booth. One was a raven haired boy carrying a Pikachu and the other was a girl with dark blonde hair. Judging by their bruises and how dirty their clothes were, she could tell they had been in some sort of trouble recently.

"Hold it!" Officer Jenny called after them. The two immediately stopped and turned around to face the police officer.

"Where do you two think you are going with that Pikachu" Officer Jenny asked as she approached them. It was the boy who answered.

"My Pikachu is seriously injured, and we need to take it to the Pokemon Center." he said.

"Right, and we need to get my Charmander there, also," the girl pleaded.

Officer Jenny studied the two a moment before she determined they were telling her the truth. "I understand. Just let me see your IDs to prove you're trainers, and you can go," she said.

"Do you mean our pokedexes?" the boy asked as he pulled it out of his side pants pocket, the girl's from her backpack.

Officer Jenny took the devices and pushed a few buttons and the robotic voices spoke up and introduced the two trainers as Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena to prove their story was genuine.

"Okay. Your story checks out," Officer Jenny said as she handed them back their pokedexes.

"Thanks," Ash said. "Can you tell us where the Pokemon Center is?"

Officer Jenny smiled. "I'll do you one better. I'll take you two there myself!"

"Really?! Thank you so much!" Serena said gratefully.

"No problem!" Officer Jenny said.

With that, Officer Jenny ran into the garage next to her booth, hopped on her motorcycle, and fired on the ignition. She then drove out and stopped right next to the two trainers. Luckily, the motorcycle had a sidecar that was big enough for two people. "Hop in," she told them.

The two trainers got in the sidecar, and Officer Jenny sped off, blazing her sirens. Had they looked behind them, they would have noticed a red-haired girl holding a ruined bicycle running after them. "_Those two kids aren't going to get away from me!" _Misty thought.

Nobody seemed to notice the huge hot-air balloon that was flying overhead. It was in the shape of a cat-like Pokemon with a golden charm on its forehead called Meowth. The balloon lowered a hook from its basket and peeled off the "Wanted" posters from the side of the police booth and brought them back up to the balloon's occupants.

"Ugh, can you believe this photo? It makes me look terrible," a woman in her twenties said. She had long, dark red hair that reached all the way down her back and curled inward at the end. She also wore a white uniform with a huge red "R" in middle of the shirt which opened slightly at bottom, exposing her stomach. She also had on black gloves and black boots.

"Tell me about it, Jessie" a man, also in his twenties, replied. He had blue hair that was parted at the sides and reached just above his shoulders. Like his companion, he also wore a white uniform, but his covered his whole boy below the head. He also wore black gloves and black boots. "With this terrible picture, they will be sorry they ever looked at this face."

"We're all sorry after looking at your face! Stick to the plan, James!" a new voice piped up. This voice didn't belong to a human but a Pokemon! It was a Meowth that could actually stand upright and talk in human language!

"Humph! You're right," James said. He then turned to Jessie and gave a sinister smile. "Are you ready to steal some Pokemon?"

"I'm very ready," Jessie replied

"And don't forget! I'm the top cat! Meeeeowth!" Meowth added.

* * *

Ash and Serena wished Officer Jenny would slow down on her motorcycle. They were glad she was trying to get to the Pokemon Center as fast as she could. The only problem was Viridian City didn't have the smoothest roads. This caused the sidecar to shake violently making it very uncomfortable.

As the Pokemon Center came into view, Ash looked down at his Pikachu in his arms. "Don't worry Pikachu. We're almost there," he said. The Pokemon gave a weak nod.

"Uh, isn't she going to stop?" Serena asked as she realized they were coming closer and closer to the building, and Officer Jenny wasn't slowing down.

"Um, Officer Jenny?" Ash asked uncertainly as they were almost at the door and she still hadn't stopped yet.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Officer Jenny replied as she continued speeding along.

They were just seconds away from the double doors, and Ash and Serena we're getting pretty nervous. "We're going to crash!" Serena cried, and out of reflex, she grabbed onto Ash for support, but the crash never came.

Just before the motorcycle came into contact with the double doors, they automatically opened, and the vehicle shot through opening to the building. Officer Jenny then slammed on her breaks, and the motorcycle screeched to a halt just before it rammed into the front desk.

"See. I told you I knew what I was doing," Officer Jenny said smiling, looking at the almost terrified two kids.

"Gracious! What's going on?!" a nurse with pink hair in two buns cried as she ran out of the back room.

"Nurse Joy! We have a Pokemon emergency!" Officer Jenny said firmly.

Nurse Joy then ran over to the two kids in the sidecar and saw Pikachu's condition. "I understand. Chansey! Get a stretcher STAT!" she called over her shoulder.

A pink egg-shaped Pokemon with stubby limbs that had pink curls on the side of its head and had an egg in its stomach pouch appeared. It was carrying a stretcher and moving as fast as its stubby legs could move.

"Nurse Joy! Could you please take my Charmander? It's been injured as well!" Serena said with worry, holding up her pokeball for Nurse Joy to see

"I will," Nurse Joy said taking the pokeball and giving it to Chansey. She then also took Pikachu and placed it on the stretcher.

Chansey then ran to the back room with Charla's pokeball and the stretcher with Pikachu on it.

As Ash and Serena climbed out of the sidecar, Officer Jenny gave a salute. "Well, my work here is done!"

Nurse Joy sweatdropped. "Yes. You did a great job of getting them here. Just please use the driveway next time," she said.

"Heheheheh. Of course" Officer Jenny said sheepishly. She then drove out of the Pokemon Center on her motorcycle.

Ash then looked up at Nurse Joy with pleading eyes. "Please tell me the Pokemon are going to be alright," he said.

"We are about to examine them now. I will let you know as soon as I find out anything," Nurse Joy said as she disappeared into the back room.

Ash and Serena decided it would be best to wash up and change while their Pokemon were being healed. They both took out their change of clothes from their backpack and went to their respective bathrooms to change. Ash had changed into a white t-shirt with a pokeball symbol on it and black athletic shorts, and Serena changed into a plain light pink shirt and pink shorts. They also found a small laundry room to wash their other clothes.

Ash and Serena then decided sit down on one of the sofas in lobby while they waited. Ash went ahead to sit down while Serena went over to the vending machine to get two bottled waters. She returned and handed one to Ash. She noticed how upset of an expression he had and looked at Ash worriedly. She was worried about her Charmander, but knew Pikachu was in much worse shape. She then placed a comforting hand on Ash's shoulder as she sat down next to him. "Don't worry, Ash. The Pokemon Centers specialize in Pokemon treatment. Pikachu will just fine. You'll see," she told him.

Ash managed a small smile but still had the sad look in his eyes. "Thanks, Serena. It's just the fact that it got hurt trying to protect me. I have to make sure it's okay," he said.

Serena nodded her head sympathetically.

Ash then stood up. "Serena, I'm going to take a quick shower since I still feel really dirty. I'll be back in a little bit." he said as he walked off.

Serena was then left to her own musings. "_Ash will probably sign up for the Pokemon League while we are here," _she thought. "_I like Pokemon battles, but there has to be something else besides the Pokemon League that I can do." _She pondered on this for the next several minutes until she noticed two posters on the wall of the Pokemon Centers. One was an advertisement for the Pokemon League, but the other was for something else called the Battle Chateau.

She walked up to the two posters to get a closer look at them. _"Do you think you have what it takes to conquer the newly created Battle Chateau?!" _the advertisement for the Battle Chateau said. "_Battle many different trainers and improve your rank! Become known throughout the entire region. Become the best and win special prizes!"_

_ "Battle Chateau?" _Serena thought.

"Hey, Serena. What are you looking at?" a voice said behind her.

Serena turned around and saw Ash approaching, still in his alternative clothes. "I was just looking at these two posters," she answered as Ash stopped next to her.

"Hey! It's an advertisement for the Pokemon League!" Ash said excitedly.

"_Do you want to be the very best?! Think you have what it takes to conquer the toughest trainers in the region?! Challenge the Pokemon Gyms and find out! Win all eight badges from the Gym Leaders and qualify for the Pokemon League! Winners may even get a chance to challenge the Elite Four! Sign up at the nearest Pokemon Center!_

"Awesome! I need to make sure to do that while I'm here!" Ash said enthusiastically.

"Since we are still waiting to hear about our Pokemon, why don't we call our homes? I'm sure our mothers would like to make sure that we're okay," Serena suggested

"Yeah. Good idea," Ash replied as they walked over to the video phone.

Serena took one last look at the Battle Chateau poster on the wall. "_I should look further into that,"_ she thought.

Once they reached the phones, Serena spoke up. "Is it okay if I call my mom first?" she asked.

"Sure. Go right ahead," Ash said.

Ash stood next to Serena as she dialed the number to her house and heard it ringing on the other end. At the third ring it was picked up, and Serena heard her mother's voice. "Hello?" Grace said from the other end.

"Hi, Mom. It's us," Serena answered.

"Oh, Serena! Delia! It's Serena and Ash!" Grace exclaimed from the other end. A few seconds later her image appeared on the screen. She was soon joined by Delia Ketchum.

"Mom?! You are over there also?" Ash asked.

"Well, of course, Ash! Grace and I are friends, after all. She invited me over for a cup of coffee," Ash's mom replied.

"Oh, right," Ash said

"Anyway, how has everything been so far?" Grace asked them.

Serena frowned. "Not so good. We were attacked by a flock of Spearow, and our Pokemon were hurt in the process."

Their moms then got a worried look on their face. "Oh, no! You two weren't injured also, were you?!" Delia asked.

"No. We were fine," Serena said. They weren't about to tell their mothers that Ash was almost run through by the whole flock of Spearow.

"We know your Pokemon are hurt, and they protected you like they are supposed to, but don't forget to keep them safe as well. When you and your Pokemon can become as one team, you can soar like a Pidgeot!" Grace said.

"Right. We will," they answered.

"Remember to eat right and get enough sleep, also," Delia advised.

"Of course," the two answered.

"Is there anything else you need?" Grace asked.

"Yeah. I have a question, Mom. Have you ever heard of the Battle Chateau?" Serena spoke up.

"Hmm. I have seen a few advertisements on television and in the newspaper. It's a very new concept that was organized only within the past six months. It has been promoted a lot recently to try and get people to notice and try it out," Grace answered.

"Ok. I was just wondering. Thanks," Serena smiled.

"No problem. Can I help you with anything else?" Grace asked.

"No. I'm good," Serena said.

"Well, okay good night, you two. Call us again soon," Grace said, followed by a wave and good night from Delia.

"Good night. Love you," the two said. Then Serena hung up the phone.

Ash then remembered something. "Hey. Remember that huge Pokemon we saw fly over the rainbow. I had never seen a Pokemon like that before. Do you think we should tell Professor Oak about it? Maybe he could give us some information." Ash said.

"Okay. I'm curious about it, myself," Serena replied.

This time it was Ash who picked up the phone and dialed. He heard the phone ring for a minute before he heard Professor Oak's voice say, "Oak Pokemon Lab. May I help you?"

"Hey, Professor Oak. It's Ash and Serena," Ash replied. He then saw the video screen turn on, and Professor Oak appeared.

"Ah, hello there, you two! I see you made it to Viridian City. Your mothers told me that you would be traveling together. I knew you two could get there by nightfall," Professor Oak said.

"Thanks, Professor. We were calling because we were wondering if you could tell us anything about this Pokemon." Ash said as he held up his Pokedex and pressed a button to make a picture of the majestic Pokemon appear.

"Great galloping Rapidash! Where in blazes did you find that picture?!" Professor Oak exclaimed.

"I got its picture on my Pokedex when I saw it," Ash replied.

"You two saw that Pokemon?! That's incredible!" Professor Oak said in amazement.

"What's so special about it?" Serena asked curiously.

"You two clearly don't know what you have seen! Trainers and researchers like myself have searched our entire lives for this Pokemon and have never seen it!" Professor Oak replied.

"Wow, Serena! We just saw a legendary Pokemon!" Ash said excitedly turning to her, causing her to smile.

"Indeed! Perhaps this is a sign that you two will have great things happen to you on your journey! I'm very impressed!" Professor Oak said while folding his arms and nodding his head.

"Thanks, Professor!" they both said.

"Ash, if it's not too much trouble, do you think could scan the image of that Pokemon for me to send it to the lab. I would like to study it more. Just slide you Pokedex into that slot on the left side of the video phone," Professor Oak said.

"Sure. No problem," Ash replied as he did so.

"Alright! I have the picture coming out right now on this end. Thank you both!" Professor Oak said gratefully.

"You're welcome!" they both replied. They then heard a beeping noise from the other end.

"Oh! I have to go! The tofu's done! Take care!" Professor Oak said hurriedly before hanging up.

Ash and Serena chuckled softly at the Professor's antics before they heard a very angry voice behind them. "Now I've got you!"

They both spun around to find, standing at the entrance to the Pokemon Center, the red-haired girl from earlier that day, Misty. She was holding a very ruined bicycle above her head, and she looked VERY angry.

"I thought I might find you here at the Pokemon Center!" Misty yelled as she stomped towards them.

"What happened to your bike?" Ash asked stupidly.

Misty got a look of disbelief on her face. "Are you serious?! YOU two happened to my bike, you little twerps! You stole it and apparently ruined it in the process! This is all that's left!"

Ash and Serena were trying to recall what could have ruined the girl's bike, and then they remembered Pikachu's thunderbolt attack as realization hit them. They sweatdropped.

"You two are going to buy me a new one, and I'm not letting you out of my sight until you do!" Misty said angrily.

Serena was liking this girl less and less every second. She had done nothing but shout at them ever since they met. Did she even know how to speak in a normal tone of voice?

"Alright. We're sorry. We'll get you a new bike, but we need to make sure our Pokemon are alright first," Ash said.

Serena looked at Ash in surprise. They shouldn't have to owe this girl anything with the way she has been treating them.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not falling for that one again! You are buying me a new bike right now!" Misty stated firmly.

That did it for Serena. "Are you so materialistic that you care about your stupid bike more than the life a Pokemon?! Our Pokemon are really injured in there, and all you care about is getting another bike! Ash and I shouldn't have to owe you anything!" Serena said, glaring at Misty.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Misty shouted, directing her complete attention at Serena.

Serena smirked. This girl had walked right into that one. "It means you are a spoiled brat."

"Why you…." Misty growled, but didn't finish as Ash stepped in between them.

"Alright, guys. We've all gotten off on the wrong foot .Let's start over," Ash said nervously. He then faced Misty. "My name is Ash Ketchum, and this…" he said gesturing to Serena who crossed her arms and didn't let up on her glare, "…is Serena Gabena. What's your name?"

"I don't care what your names are! I just want a new bike!" Misty shouted again.

"I promise we will get you a new bike as soon as we can," Ash said gently, trying to calm the girl. We are very sorry we took it, but it was an emergency. Will you please tell us your name?"

The girl's intense glare softened a little, only a little. "Humph! Fine! My name's Misty," she said.

It's nice to meet you, Misty," Ash said, attempting a smile.

Misty didn't return it. "Don't expect me to become friends with you guys or anything, but I'll go ahead and ask how your Pokemon are. I hope it isn't serious," she said.

_"It's about time she quit shouting," _thought Serena.

"We don't know if it's serious or not," Ash said sadly. "It's our first day as a Pokemon trainer, and our Pokemon are already hurt."

"You two need to learn to take better care of your Pokemon," Misty said firmly and crossed her arms. "If you don't, you will never get anywhere as a Pokemon trainer."

_"I'd like to see you take on a flock of Spearow for your Pokemon like Ash did," _Serena thought bitterly, but held her tongue. She didn't feel the need to continue talking to Misty.

They were then interrupted by a loud "ding" from behind them. They turned around and saw the operation icon was turned off. The backroom doors opened and Chansey and Nurse Joy walked out wheeling both Pikachu and Charla on a table.

Ash and Serena immediately ran over to their Pokemon followed by Misty, who also looked concerned.

"How are they, Nurse Joy?" Ash asked once the group reached them.

Nurse Joy gave a smile. "Your Pokemon are very tired, but will be just fine. They just need a good night's rest, and they will be as good as new," she said kindly.

"That's great!" Serena said happily. She and Ash were really relieved that their Pokemon had no serious injuries.

"How are you feeling, Pikachu?" Ash asked, Serena doing likewise with her Pokemon.

Both Pokemon smiled weakly at their trainers and nodded their heads, signifying they were fine.

"I'm about to bring them back to the recovery room to rest for the night. You two should go in with them," Nurse Joy said to Ash and Serena. Both trainers nodded and turned to Misty.

"Once again, we're really sorry about your bike, but we will need some time to make things right," Ash said.

Misty sighed. "Fine. Go ahead and take care of your Pokemon, and we will settle up later," she said.

"Thanks for understanding," Ash said. He and Serena were just about to head with Nurse Joy and their Pokemon when they heard a loud buzzing throughout the center.

"Attention, everyone!" Officer Jenny's voice rang on the intercoms, "A hot air balloon belonging to a group of Pokemon thieves have been detected! Exercise extreme caution and keep your Pokemon safe!"

No sooner had they heard the announcement that a loud crash was heard. Everyone looked up and saw two pokeballs falling from the broken skylight. They two pokeballs opened once they hit floor to reveal a long purple snake pokemon with a yellow rings around its body and a rattle at the end, Ekans. The other Pokemon was a spherical Pokemon with many craters on it. It had a skull and cross bones symbol on its center and what seemed like a permanent goofy smile on its face, Koffing.

As soon as the Pokemon were released, the Koffing let out a Smokescreen attack from its craters, blinding everyone in the room. They then heard evil laughter.

Once the smoke cleared, they looked and saw two people in uniforms with the big red "R" in the middle, and a Pokemon: Jessie and James and Meowth.

Ash pulled out his pokedex to scan the three new Pokemon. "Ekans, the snake Pokemon. It moves silently and stealthily to sneak up on prey. The older it gets, the longer it grows. Koffing, the poison gas pokemon. Toxic gas is held in its balloon-shaped body to cause massive explosions. Meowth, the scratch cat pokemon. It loves to roam at night to gather coins and other objects that sparkle, and spends most of the daytime sleeping," the pokedex said.

"Who are you guys?!" Ash asked, putting his hands over his Pikachu protectively, Serena doing the same.

"We will be happy to tell you, little boy!" they answered.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie began

"To unite all people within our nation!" James said

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth finished.

Despite their amazement that a Meowth just talked, the group was more worried about the injured Pokemon.

"You must be the Pokemon thieves that have had this city so worried!" Serena said.

"We are much more than thieves, I assure you," Jessie replied.

"That's right. We are part of the deadly Team Rocket," James said, smiling evilly.

"I don't care what you are a part of! I'll never let you take Pikachu!" Ash yelled with a determined look on his face. To his surprise, they chuckled.

"Oh, please! We don't have any interest in that yellow rat, so you can relax," Jessie said. "We are only interested in strong Pokemon."

"You're wasting your time then! There are only injured Pokemon here at the Pokemon Center," Nurse Joy said firmly.

"Not so fast, Nurse. There are definitely bound to be powerful Pokemon in here like that Charmander. If we turn it into a Charizard, it will make a great gift for the boss," James said, looking at Serena's Pokemon with interest.

"Forget it!" Serena said.

"You don't have a choice. Ekans! Koffing! Attack!" Team Rocket ordered as both Pokemon lunged forward.

Everyone quickly got out of the way and made a run for it to the back room as Ekans and Koffing continued to cause havoc in the lobby.

"We need to transport all the pokeballs to the other Pokemon centers as fast as possible before those crooks can get them!" Nurse Joy said ugently once they were in the back room and Ash had locked the door.

"Right!" Ash, Serena, and Misty nodded and began to scoop up few pokeballs in each arm, but then the power shut off

"Oh, no! They must have cut the power!" Serena cried.

"Not to worry. We have our own source of power," Nurse Joy said. Soon the lights were back on.

Ash, Serena, and Misty looked to the center of the room to see a whole group of Pikachu using their electricity on a generator to power the Pokemon Center.

Nurse Joy then ran over to a nearby computer and pressed a few select buttons, causing a certain machine next to it to turn on. "Initiating emergency Pokemon transport sequence," the computer said.

"Right! Let's hurry up and transport them! I have them ready to be received at the other Pokemon Centers!" Nurse Joy said to the group. Everyone then began to send as many pokeballs through the transporter as they could.

They then heard banging coming from the other side of the door and knew that Team Rocket was trying to break the door down.

"We've got to hurry!" Nurse Joy cried as she and everyone else began to move more frantically.

The door then busted open with Ekans and Koffing taking the lead with Jessie, James, and Meowth behind them.

"Oh! It looks like they are trying to transport all the Pokemon," Jessie smirked.

"We can still grab that Charmander, though," James said, pointing at Serena's Charmander. "Koffing, go get it!"

"You too, Ekans!" said Jessie

"No!" Serena cried as she ran forward and threw her arms around the Charmander, ready to protect it at all costs. Ekans and Koffing weren't deterred at all as they lunged forward prepared to attack the girl also if necessary.

"Serena!" Ash cried, as the Pokemon drew closer.

"Staryu! Come out and use water gun to protect them!" Misty shouted as she released a small tan starfish-like Pokemon with a red jewel in the middle. The Pokemon then jumped in front of Serena and Charmander and used its water gun attack to blast back the two Pokemon just before they struck. They smashed back into Jessie, James, and Meowth, causing them to tumble onto the floor.

Serena stared at Misty in surprise. "Wow. Thanks, Misty. You saved Charla and me," she said.

Misty nodded at Serena before turning back to Staryu. "Use Tackle attack, Staryu!" she said. Staryu spun forward and slammed hard into Team Rocket, knocking them backwards out of the room.

"Great! That's the last of them!" Nurse Joy said as she and Ash finished placing the last few pokeballs in the transporter.

"Grrr! Don't think this is over, you little brats!" Jessie growled as she and the rest of the Rocket members appeared again at the doorway. "You may have transferred all of the Center's Pokemon, but we still have yours to take."

"That's right! We call a Pokemon battle! Let's see you take on both of us, little girl," James said as Ekans and Koffing got into battle positions.

Pikachu then got to its feet and turned to Ash. Charla did the same and got a determined look on its face

"PikaPi! Pikachu!" Pikachu said

Ash looked at Pikachu concerned. "You are saying you want to battle? Are you sure you are well enough to?" he asked.

"Pikachu!" it nodded

"You too, Charla?" Serena asked, receiving a nod from the Pokemon.

"Heh! Good luck with those injured Pokemon!" Jessie sneered. "Ekans! Use Wrap attack on staryu!"

"Koffing! Use Tackle attack on Pikachu!" James ordered.

Both Pokemon took stance and lunged at the Pokemon, ready to do their respective attacks.

"Charla! Use ember attack on Ekans to protect Staryu!" Serena said.

"Pikachu! Use thundershock on Koffing!" Ash said.

Both Pokemon launched their respective attacks, knocking the two Pokemon backwards at the feet of Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"Thanks, Serena," Misty said, turning back to Serena and smiling.

"You're welcome!" Serena replied, giving Misty a smile of her own.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" Meowth asked rhetorically as it extended its claws. "I'll show you! Fury Swipes!" It then charged at the Pokemon.

"Staryu! Use water gun attack on Meowth!" Misty said.

Staryu then sprayed another jet of water at Meowth, pushing it backwards and into Jessie, James, Koffing, and Ekans. They went flying backwards out of the room and back into the lobby again.

Ash, Serena, Misty, and their Pokemon followed them out and saw that Team Rocket was laying on the floor, completely drenched.

"Hey. Water conducts electricity. I know how to get rid of them! Pikachu use thundershock on Team Rocket," Ash said pointing at them.

Pikachu nodded and let loose its thundershock, greatly shocking Team Rocket. They cried out from the pain. Koffing, unable to control itself, let loose several poisonous gases.

"I remember!" Serena realized. "Those gases are flammable! Charla! Use ember!"

Charla then let loose its ember attack. As soon as the small bits of fire made contact with the gases, there was a large explosion, sending Team Rocket blasting through the roof and into the night.

"Alright! Way to go, everyone!" Ash cheered.

"Oh, thank you so much! You saved the Pokemon from Team Rocket!" Nurse Joy said.

"Ehehehe. Sorry about the damage we did to the center, Nurse Joy," Serena said sheepishly.

Nurse Joy sweatdropped. "Oh I'm sure we can get everything fixed. The most important thing is that you helped keep the Pokemon safe.

Serena then turned to Misty. "Hey, Misty. Thank you for protecting Charla and me. Really."

Misty returned the smile. "You're welcome. You protected my Staryu as well. I have to admit, when we first met, I thought you were some irresponsible trainer, but now that I've actually talked to you, it turns out I was wrong. You're pretty okay and clearly love your Pokemon."

"Thanks Misty. Same here. Why don't we start over?" Serena suggested, extending her hand for Misty to shake.

Misty nodded and reached her hand out also, and the two girls shook.

"That's great seeing you two get along now!" Ash said excitedly.

"Don't forget, though. You two still owe me a new bike," Misty reminded.

"Heheheh. Don't worry. We are short on cash right now, but once we save up enough, I promise we'll get you a new one," Serena said.

"Sounds good," Misty said. "In the meantime, I'll just have to come with you!"

Ash and Serena looked at each other. Misty had proven she could be pretty nice, after all. They also decided that having a trainer with some experience would be pretty helpful on their journey. Both of them then looked back at Misty and nodded.

"Alright! The more, the merrier! Welcome to our group, Misty!" Ash said happily.

"Since all of you helped keep the Pokemon safe, why don't you stay the night here for free?" Nurse Joy offered. "The rooms weren't damaged at all in the attack, so it should still be comfortable for you."

"Awesome! Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!" Ash said. His stomach then growled. "Uh, I haven't had anything to eat in while. Do you know where we can get some food?"

Everyone laughed at Ash's antics.

While they were laughing, Serena had thought about what an eventful first day they had. It had started off pretty terrible with the flock of Spearow, their Pokemon being injured, an attack by a criminal organization, and meeting a quick-tempered redhead, but by the end, it had changed to a good day. They had seen a legendary Pokemon, saved the Pokemon of the Pokemon Center, made a new friend, and she saw something that might have captured her interest, the Battle Chateau. She couldn't wait to see what the rest of their journey would contain after today.

* * *

**Please leave a review to tell me what you think.**

**Okay. I'm going to have Serena do the Battle Chateau in the Kanto region. In order to make this work, I'm changing a few things about it. Rather than battle many trainers to increase in rank, I'm going to set it up like a tournament. If you win the tournament, you get an increase in rank. Once one becomes a dutch/dutchess, they can face the battle chatelaines to conquer it. More details in next chapter. **

**One more thing, a lot of you are either for or against Misty joining Ash and Serena in Kanto. Whether she is there or not in Orange Islands and Johto is up to you guys. I created a poll in my profile asking what you think I should do with Misty in the other regions. So please vote and tell me if you want her in those regions or not. The next chapter will be up in a week. Once again, thank you so all so much for reviewing. It's your reviews that keep me going!**

**Chapter 6: The Battle Chateau of Viridian City**

**Answering the Questions:**

_Why aren't you doing Unova or Kalos?_

_**I'm not doing Unova because I didn't watch that season a whole lot. Ash was noob, Iris and Cilan were okay but I preferred his other traveling companions, and the whole series was so kiddie. Another reason I'm choosing not to do it is because the story series will drag out to long like that. That's why I'm not doing Kalos also. I can only do so much story before my brain turns to spaghetti.**_

_Can you maybe make Ash more mature and less dense as the story progresses? The anime made him a dim-wad as well as the worst pokemon trainer in existance...lol_

_**Yes. That's my intention. See the author's note at the top of the chapter.**_

_I was wondering if you were have Ash hatch an egg in the Kanto region with Serena (It might work as a good way of helping Ash mature a little)_

_**Yes. Ash and Serena will each hatch an egg in the Kanto region.**_

_Will you do the battle frontier before and maybe in Sinnoh?_

_**I will definitely do the Battle Frontier. However, it will play out like in the anime so it won't be in Sinnoh. Just the arc before. I'm thinking of combining it with the Hoenn arc but haven't fully decided yet.**_

_When Brock comes (which will be hilarious) can he get a girl at least later in the series? He deserves it._

_**Brock just might get a girl heheheheheh. He also may be an amourshipper himself when he finds out how Serena feels about Ash.**_

_Since you're covering a good detail from the Kanto arc, are you going to include the Pokémon Prep School early on after Cerulean City, assuming you know about it? If so, are you going to have Ash fawn over Giselle like he did in the anime? It'd be funny to see Serena's take on it, why Ash never "looked" at her like that..._

_**I'm well acquainted with the Pokemon prep school episode. Unfortunately, I don't plan on doing it in my story. For those of you that want to see Serena jealous, fear not! There will be other opportunities.**_

_Will Ash and Serena capture any shiny pokemon?_

_**Yes.**_

_Do you basically plan to do a Charizard pairing involving both Ash's and Serena's Charizards, assuming her Charla evolves into a Charizard which I'm guessing will happen._

_**Yes. That was one of the things I've been planning from the beginning. There will be romance between Ash and Serena's Charmanders/Charizards later on.**_

_When Ash's Charmander evolves into Charmeleon will it be flat out disobedient like it was in canon or will it just give Ash a hard time but still be loyal._

_**It will give Ash a hard time but still be loyal. I don't plan on having him be disobedient. Ash did save its life after all. I always thought it was terrible how Charizard treated Ash at first.**_

_If they both get Charizards and you plan to involve Mega Evolution does that mean they both will have a Mega Stone for one of their Charizards or will they have only one of them and if they both do get them then I'm guessing Ash will get Charizard X since it looks fiercer than Charizard Y which I'm guessing is the one Serena would get._

_**You made a great guess. They each will only have one Mega Stone. Ash's will be Charizard X and Serena's Charizard Y. That's still very far off, though. I don't plan to introduce Mega Evolution until Sinnoh.**_

_Also when you do start the other region arcs will you have Ash and maybe Serena do what they did in canon and have Ash constantly start over with only their starters or will they bring their pokemon along and rotate their teams._

_**Ash and Serena will leave their team at Professor Oak's lab and only bring their starters to new regions like in canon. However, they will rotate their team a lot to make sure everyone still battles on a regular basis.**_

_As for gyms why not 16 gyms one for each type? I ask this because I think hundreds of trainers enter the league at a time and having just 8 would mean that should one be out for some reason they wouldn't be able to get to the league not to mention powerful (and unstable) gym leaders like sabrina would make things promblematic, I think 16 is a good number._

_**As stated earlier, there are only eight gyms per region for easier handling. If you would like me to elaborate, another reason why I believe trainers need to conquer all eight and not eight out of sixteen is because you NEED very hard gym leaders like Sabrina. These are the gyms that separate the "A" trainers that deserve the Pokemon League for beating her from the "B" trainers who don't. If there were sixteen gyms per region, a run off the mill trainer could only do the eight that don't have a big reputation for being hard. Basically, ANYONE could enter the Pokemon League that way and it wouldn't be as much of an honor to participate.**_


	6. The Battle Chateau of Viridian City

**A/N: I'm very happy most of you were satisfied with Serena doing the Battle Chateau. As for the one person who reviewed that didn't, well, I guess you can't please everybody. Thanks for all of the reviews and encouragement. There is an important author's note at the bottom of the chapter. Make sure to read it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Nintendo does. Not me. Nintendo!**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Battle Chateau of Viridian City

Serena was getting ready for bed. She had already brushed her teeth for the night and was coming out of the bathroom in her pajamas. She sat on the bed and sighed. Opposite of her was Misty who was already lying down in bed. They had decided to share a room together at the Pokemon Center in order not to take up too much open rooms in case other trainers came by. Ever since Misty and Serena shook hands and decided to travel together (and when Misty wasn't mentioning her bike), they got along pretty okay.

Misty got on her side and propped herself up with her elbow on her pillow. "So Serena, how long have you known Ash?" she asked.

"I've known him for about three years now," Serena replied. "We were at summer camp in Pallet Town. I had just moved to the area. I had fallen and hurt my leg during a scavenger hunt. He appeared and helped me by bandaging my leg and leading me by hand out of the forest. He completely dropped the scavenger hunt to make sure I was okay."

"That was nice of him," Misty said with a smile.

"Yeah. It was," Serena said smiling back. "He is definitely one of the kindest people I know. There aren't too many people out there who love people and Pokemon as much as he does."

"So are you two….boyfriend and girlfriend?" Misty asked curiously

Serena blushed heavily at the question "No. No. We aren't dating or anything," she said nervously.

Misty then got a sly look on her face. "But you like him, don't you?"

"Eheheheheh, yeah. I do," Serena said nervously while rubbing the back of her neck and sweat dropping.

Misty then replaced her mischievous look with one of curiosity again and asked. "Why don't you let him know that you like him? I mean, I'm assuming he doesn't know."

"It's simple, really," Serena said matter-of-factly. "Ash is the greatest person I've ever met. He's kind, generous, funny, and isn't afraid to protect those he cares about. I would hate for him to act weird around me if he knew I liked him and him not feel that way about me."

"I'm going out on a limb here, but from what I've seen, it seems that Ash cares a good deal about you also. He may like you. It's just he hasn't realized it yet. All it would take is a good push to get him to know his feelings for you. You will never know until you try."

"I know. I'm just not ready to tell him yet," Serena sighed.

Misty smiled sympathetically. "That's fine. You are still afraid of getting friend-zoned. That can be the worst place to be in when you have a crush on someone. Just tell him when you're ready."

"You sound like you speak from experience, Misty," Serena said.

"No way! I don't have a crush on anyone!" Misty suddenly said defensively.

"Alright. Alright. Sorry," Serena said waving her hands in front of her face.

"Well, I'm going to go ahead and get to sleep," Misty said as she turned over and put her head on the pillow.

"Yeah. I need to also. I didn't get much sleep last night," Serena yawned. She then pulled her legs over the bed and got underneath the covers. She was asleep in few minutes.

* * *

It was the next morning in Viridian City. Compared to the night before, both Ash and Serena got a good night's sleep. Their Pokemon were also feeling better and fully refreshed. Everyone was now in the cafeteria eating their breakfast at a booth in the cafeteria. Pikachu was licking a bottle of ketchup. It didn't know why, but it sure loved the stuff.

"So Ash. Serena told me that you are going to challenge the Indigo League," Misty said as she scooped up some cereal in her spoon to take a bite.

"That's right!" Ash confirmed. "I'm going to challenge all the gym leaders and then win!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Misty said. "Gym leaders are a lot stronger than your average trainer. They are no pushovers. You need to make sure you are prepared every time."

"Right," Ash replied as he took a bite of his food.

"Speaking of the Indigo League, have you signed up yet, Ash?" Serena spoke up.

Ash mentally smacked himself. "I can't believe I forgot!" He was about to get up and abandon his food to go, but Misty stopped him.

"Relax, Ash. Registration isn't going anywhere. There is no deadline. You can do so at any time," Misty said.

Ash sighed with relief and sat back down. "That's good. I would hate to have to waste all this good food!" Ash said as he resumed eating.

Serena chuckled while Misty rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Nurse Joy. I'd like to sign up for the Indigo Pokemon League, please," Ash stated. He, Serena, and Pikachu were back in the lobby at the front desk. Misty had gone back to her room real quick to retrieve her things.

"Alright, Ash. I will just need to see your Pokedex. The computer up here in the lobby is still out of order from last night, but the one in the back still works," Nurse Joy told him.

Ash nodded and handed his pokedex to Nurse Joy. She then went to the back room to scan it.

"So are we ready to head out once this is done?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. I have all my things," Serena replied.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu nodded its head.

Nurse Joy then returned with Ash's pokedex and handed it back to him. "Here you go, Ash. You are all signed up for the Indigo League. I wish you the best of luck," she said

"Great! Thanks, Nurse Joy! I heard there is a gym here in Viridian City. Could you please tell me how to get there?" Ash asked eagerly.

Nurse Joy got an apologetic look on her face. "Unfortunately, the gym leader isn't there at moment. He's always out doing various projects. He is one of the hardest gym leaders to schedule a match with because he's away so often. He is also very secretive and shrouded in mystery. I don't even know his name," Nurse Joy told Ash.

"Oh. Okay then," Ash said only slightly disappointed. "In that case, where is the nearest one?"

"That would be the one in Pewter City. My cousin works at the Pokemon Center there. I will e-mail her to let her know you are coming. I'm sure she would like to thank you for helping the Pokemon as well," Nurse Joy said kindly.

"We will!" Ash said. He then turned to Serena. "So Serena. Ready to head to Pewter City?" Ash asked her.

"Actually, Ash. I was wondering if we could check someplace out before leaving the city," Serena requested while scratching her cheek.

"Sure. What is it?" Ash asked.

"I saw this advertisement last night about something called the Battle Chateau. It was next to the poster for the Indigo League. I was hoping we could go there to see what it's like," Serena told him.

"No problem! Do you wanna check out the Battle Chateau, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied while holding up one its small paws and making a "V" shape with its fingers.

"Then let's go!" Ash said as they turned towards the door.

"Hold it!" Misty suddenly yelled behind them.

They turned around to see Misty running up to them. "I know you weren't thinking about leaving me behind! Don't forget! I'm staying with you guys until you get me a new bike!" she reminded.

"Of course not! We weren't going to leave you behind! Heheheheh!" Ash chuckled nervously.

"Well, whatever. So where are we headed to?" Misty asked.

"There is this new facility called the Battle Chateau that we are going to see. It sounds like fun," Serena answered.

"You're actually in luck. I've heard of the Battle Chateau myself and happen to know the way there. Follow me," Misty said she begin to walk towards the exit. Everyone waved goodbye to Nurse Joy, and they were off.

* * *

"Well, here it is!" Misty said once they reached the Battle Chateau.

Ash and Serena looked up in amazement at the majestic building. It looked more like a castle than a battle facility, complete with spiral towers and stone bricks. The only that seemed to be missing was a moat.

"Wooooow," Serena said in awe as she continued to stare.

"Well, are you two just going to stand there all day, or are we going in? I'm actually a little curious to see what the inside looks like myself," Misty said a little impatiently.

"Yeah. We're coming," Serena said as they walked in.

The inside of the Battle Chateau was just as grand as the outside. Red carpet adorned the floors with expensive looking vases on pedestals against the wall. There were several doorways against the wall which the group assumed led to the rooms for battling. There were also huge marble staircases that led up to higher floors. There were several maids and butlers walking around. There were also a few other kids in formal attire that were chatting.

"Welcome the Battle Chateau, Beau and Dames," an elderly man with a goatee in a butler's outfit greeted. "I am the head butler here. My name is Hennessy." He then gave a bow.

"Hello," the group said. Pikachu thought this man was rather intimidating and hid behind Ash.

"Is this, perhaps, your first time visiting here?" Hennessy asked.

"Yes, it is," Serena answered. "I saw an advertisement at the Pokemon Center and wanted to see what you had to offer here."

"Ah! Splendid!" Hennessy said. "As long as you trainers have received a recommendation from a person of stature, I will gladly accept you in!"

"Uh, a recommendation?" Ash asked confused. "I don't think we have received anything like that."

"Oh dear. Perhaps there is someone you could call that I could speak to?" Hennessy asked.

"I know!" Serena spoke up. "We can call Professor Oak! He will surely give us one!"

"Oh! You know Professor Oak?" Hennessy asked.

"Absolutely!" Ash replied. "He is actually our neighbor and we got our pokedex from him."

"Well that is just wonderful!" Hennessy exclaimed. "If you may just let me see your pokedexes, that is good enough recommendation for me. Professor Oak wouldn't give someone a pokedex he didn't deem a worthy trainer."

"Oh great!" Serena said happily as she took out her pokedex to give to Hennessy, Ash doing the same.

After confirming their identities on their pokedex, he then handed their pokedexes back and clapped his hands together.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Will all of you be participating today?"

"Hey, Serena. I'd like to try it out myself to see what it's like also, if that's okay." Ash said.

"Sure, Ash! I'd be very happy to have you try it with me," Serena said smiling.

"Great! What about you Misty? Ash asked, turning to her.

"Actually, I will just sit and watch. This isn't really my thing," Misty replied.

"Okay Hennessy. It will be Ash and me participating," Serena said giving a nod.

"Excellent, madam!" Hennessy said. You and the young sir right there may follow me so we may change your outfits."

"We have to change our clothes?" Ash asked as he, Pikachu, and Serena began following Hennessy into another room.

"Certainly. This is a place for elegant trainers to try their skills. They must be able to look their best!" Hennessy answered.

"Er, okaaaaay," Ash shrugged.

"Surely you want to look your best, Ash!" Serena said. "_I'll bet he'll look really handsome in a formal outfit."_ she then thought and blushed slightly.

"Are you two sure you want to this?" Misty asked a little unsurely.

"Of course! Why wouldn't we?" Ash asked, turning back to look at Misty.

Misty sighed. "If you are sure."

Hennessy then led them to another butler and a maid. "I have a young sir and madam that would like to participate in our Battle Chateau today. Would you two be so kind as to lead them to their rooms to change?" Hennessy asked.

The butler and maid bowed. "It would be our pleasure, sir," they said.

Serena followed the maid down one hallway and Ash and Pikachu followed the butler down another. "_I'm getting so excited! Heehee!" _Serena thought to herself.

She was soon lead into a changing room. Serena stood and looked around while the maid went to find an outfit for her. Even the changing room looked grand. There were several rows of dresses of different sizes that were aligned neatly and orderly. The room itself was sparkling clean and also had a red carpet. There were many different doors to where one could change clothes privately. Serena couldn't help but be amazed at how much effort the builders had put into this place.

"Here you are, madam," the maid said as she handed Serena her outfit. "Please use one of the changing facilities over there," she pointed.

Serena then went into one of the rooms, closed the door, and began to change. Once she was finished, she looked herself over in the mirror. She wore a long pink dress with short sleeves edged with white frills. She wore pantyhose on her legs with elegant pink flats to match. On her head was a sparkling pink headband.

"Oh wow! I look so cute!" She said to herself. "I can't wait for Ash to see me like this!"

She then walked out of the changing room, leaving her other clothes behind, and was led by the maid back to the front hall. She saw Ash was already back and was with Misty and Hennessy. He was wearing a white long sleeve button- up shirt with a tie. He had on black trousers and black shoes with a black button-up coat. What stood out most to Serena about Ash was that his hair was actually combed! She didn't think she had ever seen his hair that neat in the entire time she has known him. He looked so handsome.

Serena then went over to Ash. "How do I look, Ash?" she asked and did a twirl for emphasis.

Ash looked pretty amazed. "Wow! You look great, Serena! Very elegant!"

Serena smiled. It wasn't quite the reaction she was hoping for, but it was good enough coming from Ash. "Well thank you, Ash. You look very handsome yourself! Especially with your combed hair," she giggled.

"Eheheheh, thanks. The butler made me do it, or I couldn't compete," Ash said nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

Pikachu then snickered at Ash causing him to glare at it. "Hahaha! Laugh it up, Pikachu. Why don't I put you in these clothes and see how you like it?" Ash said which promptly made Pikachu be quiet.

"If I may have your attention, please! While you were changing, the match-ups were decided for this tournament. I would now like to explain the rules," Hennessy politely cut in. Whenever you are at a Battle Chateau, you are assigned a rank. Since this is your first time at one, you both shall begin with the starting rank, Baroness for the young dame, and baron for the young beau. In order to ascend higher and improve your rank, you must defeat trainers in battle. The ranks you can start with is Baron or Baroness, then Viscount or Viscountess, Earl or Countess, Marquis or Marchioness, and finally Duke or Duchess! Once you achieve that rank, you may then challenge our very own chatelaines. I suppose you could call them the elite four of our Battle Chateau for comparison. If you are able to defeat them in battle, you will receive a plaque, your picture on the wall, and a fabulous prize!"

"So this is a tournament in itself?" Serena asked

"Yes ma'am. We even have gym leaders battle here occasionally. The higher rank you become, the more recognition you will receive, and the more you may capture the attention of a gym trainer or even someone of the Elite Four," Hennessy said.

"I have another question, Hennessy," Serena said. Achieving the rank of Duchess seems like a lot of work to do for one day. How do people do it?"

Hennessy then chuckled softly. "Ohohoho! Dear dame, of course we don't expect you to do this all in one day or even in the same city! There are five different Battle Chateaus across the Kanto Region. There is one here in Viridian City, one in Cerulean City, one in Celedon City, another in Saffron City, and finally, there is one in Fushia City. Whatever rank you achieve here will carry over with you to any Battle Chateau in the region. You are presented with a different ribbon and title card every time you receive a new rank for confirmation."

"Oh, good," Serena sighed with relief. She couldn't' wait to start trying to ascend in the ranks. She was hoping she could impress Ash by showing she was a good trainer.

"So without further ado, are you two ready to begin the tournament?" Hennessy asked.

Ash and Serena nodded.

"Wonderful! In that case, please follow me to the battle hall where you will face your first opponent. There will be ten other trainers participating in this tournament. It will be played out like a standard tournament. Each trainer will face against one other opponent. The winner gets to move on to the next round while the loser is out. This goes on until only two trainers are left. The winner gets to move up to the next rank. Do you understand?" Hennessy asked, receiving a nod.

The group then began to walk towards the battle hall. While they were walking, something suddenly occurred to Ash. "Hey, Misty. Why is it you didn't need to have a recommendation to come in like Serena and me? You said you have never been here before," he said curiously.

"Oh, it's nothing. The Battle Chateau already knew I didn't need a recommendation," Misty said nervously while looking in the opposite direction.

"How did they know that?" Ash asked.

"It's none of your business!" Misty said moodily.

"Alright. Sorry," Ash said as they entered the hall.

As they expected, the battle hall was a very large room with deep red carpet across the whole room. Unlike the rest of the Battle Chateau, however, the room was pretty bare. The only decorations were the various pictures that aligned the wall. Ash, Serena, and Misty assumed it was because of the intense Pokemon battles that took place in this room and the staff didn't want to risk anything being broken.

Hennessy then turned to Serena. "Madam, you will be part of the first tier so you will be battling first in our single battle. Your opponent will be a boy by the name of Joshua. Good luck with your match."

"Can we stay and watch her battle?" Ash asked hopefully.

"Of course, sir. Just be sure to be in your battle room by your scheduled battle time. You will be in the third tier." Hennessy answered. He then gave a bow and left the room.

"This is going to be your first real battle, Serena! Are you excited?! Ash asked her enthusiastically.

"Yes. I'm just really nervous, but I can do it. I believe in Charla," Serena said.

"I know you can do it! Misty, Pikachu, and I will be right there on the side lines cheering you on! Ash said, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Thanks, Ash" Serena smiled.

"I think that must be your opponent, Serena," Misty said, pointing to the other end of the room.

Ash and Serena turned, and sure enough, a young boy around their age was walking into the room. He had short, neatly combed brown hair and had a determined look on his face. He definitely didn't look prepared to lose.

"Go get 'em, Serena!" Ash said as he, Misty, and Pikachu went to the edge of the room to watch.

The judge then stood in the center of the room. "This is an official match of the Battle Chateau tournament. The match shall be one-on-one. Whoever wins shall advance further in the tournament. Whoever loses shall be eliminated. Before the match begins, may the beau bow and the dame curtsey to one another," he informed

Serena smiled at the boy opposite of her and did a light curtsey. The boy gave a smile back and bowed.

"Now please choose your Pokemon," the judge called out.

Serena took a deep breath before exhaling. "_Here I go,"_ she thought. She then reached and grabbed her pokeball. "Charla, come on out!" she said as she threw it.

The ball landed on the floor and opened to reveal the fire-type Pokemon. "Char! Char!" it said once it came up. It seemed ready for its first battle despite its lack of experience.

The opposing trainer also threw his pokeball. "Nidoran! I choose you!

The pokeball opened to reveal a small pink rabbit-like pokemon with a large horn on its forehead.

"Ah, a male Nidoran," Serena said as she opened her pokedex to scan it.

"Nidoran, the poison pin Pokemon, it has large poisonous horn on its forehead," the pokedex said.

"Be careful of the horn, Charla!" Serena called out to Charla, who nodded.

"This match between Serena and Joshua will now start! There will be no time limit! Begin!" the judge yelled waving down both of his flags.

"Nidoran! Use horn attack! Go!" Joshua immediately said.

The Nidoran charged forward at full speed ready to attack Charla.

Serena was incredibly surprised at how quickly the boy had called out to Nidoran and how quickly it responded.

"Serena, say a command!" Serena heard Ash call.

"Oh, uh, right! Charla dodge it!" she called, but it was too late.

Charla was hit by the horn dead on and sent flying backwards. It landed on the ground in pain.

"Charla! Are you okay?!" Serena asked as Charla slowly rose back to its feet. It then nodded its head, signifying it could still fight.

"That's great, Nidoran. Now use poison sting!" Joshua commanded. Nidoran then leaped into the air and shot several glowing needles from its horn right at Charla.

"Dodge it Charla!" Serena called. Charla then leaped out of the way.

"She's not going to win if all she is doing is dodging," Misty said to herself.

"Charge straight at Charmander and use Horn Attack, Nidoran!" the male trainer called out.

Nidoran leaned back a little and charged straight at Charla again.

"_Now's my chance,"_ Serena thought. "Charla, use Ember!"

Charla then took a deep breath and shot out as many embers as it could from its mouth in hopes of hitting the Nidoran.

Joshua smiled. "That's exactly what I wanted you to do. Leap into the air, Nidoran!"

Nidoran leaped into the air high above Charla, completely dodging the Ember attack.

"What?!" cried Serena.

"Now use Poison Sting!" the other trainer called.

"Nidoran then pointed its head downward while in midair so its head was pointing straight at Charla. It then let loose a barrage of needles.

Due to the proximity of the attack, Charla was unable to dodge and hit with almost every needle. It then began to cough and look sick. Charla had been poisoned.

"Oh no! Charla!" said Serena with worry.

"Finish this off with Tackle!" Joshua called.

"Try an Ember attack!" called Serena frantically.

Charla took a deep breath to use Ember attack, but Nidoran collided with it before it had a chance to let loose its attack. Charla was sent flying backwards and landed on its back, this time not getting up.

"Charla! Are you okay?! Serana asked.

"Charrrr….." it muttered weakly.

"Charmander is unable to battle! The winner is Joshua! Serena is eliminated from today's tournament!" the judge called out, waving the flag in his left hand and pointing to Joshua.

"Way to go, Nidoran!" Joshua said as he went over to pet it before returning it to its pokeball. He then looked over at Serena and gave a short nod before leaving the room.

Serena sank to her knees. She couldn't believe it. She never even landed a hit. It had ended so quickly. "Return, Charla. Good job," she said sadly as she returned Charla to its pokeball. She then heard footsteps behind her and figured it was Ash, Misty, and Pikachu.

"Serena…." Ash trailed, confirming her guess.

Serena then turned to Ash and looked at him sadly. "Ash, I…I didn't even land a hit," she said.

"I know. It's okay," he replied.

"You tried, Serena. That trainer was just a little better," Misty said.

Serena looked at the ground again. More like he was A LOT better. It was her first real battle, and she lost horribly. That really stung.

"I'm sorry, Charla," she said as looked at her pokeball.

She then felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and turned around to find Ash attempting a smile at her. She slowly tried to smile back and managed a weak one in return, but it quickly left her face.

* * *

"This is an official match of the Battle Chateau tournament. The match shall be one-on-one. Whoever wins shall advance further in the tournament. Whoever loses shall be eliminated. Before the match begins, may the beaus bow to one another," the judge said.

Ash bowed while his opponent did the same. It was now Ash's turn at the Battle Chateau. Seeing Serena lose like that had upset him a little bit, but he also knew he would have to focus on the match. Hopefully he could win.

"Now please choose your Pokemon!" the judge said.

Ash looked at Pikachu. "Well, you're up, Pikachu. You can do it," Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and ran forward to the center of the battle hall.

The other trainer seemed to think for a moment before making his decision. "I choose you, Mankey!"He then threw his pokeball.

The ball landed on the floor to reveal a pig monkey looking Pokemon that was covered with white fur except for the ends of its thin arms and legs. It seemed to have an angry expression on its face.

"Hmm, a Mankey," Ash said to himself as he scanned it with his pokedex. "Mankey. The Pig Monkey Pokemon. Although normally friendly, it has a very quick temper and can rampage." the pokedex said.

"Come on, Ash! You can win it!" Serena called out from the side of the hall. Misty stood watching silently.

"This match between Ash and Chris will now start! There will be no time limit! Begin!" the judge yelled waving down both of his flags.

"Okay, Pikachu! Let's start this off with a Thundershock!" Ash said.

"Pika" it nodded, then charged up power in its cheeks and released a Thundershock at Mankey. It was a direct hit.

Mankey grimaced at the pain but quickly shook it off.

"Alright, Mankey! Hit it with a Karate Chop!" Chris ordered

Mankey then ran forward prepared to do the attack to Pikachu.

"Use Quick Attack to avoid it, Pikachu!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu shot out of the way, and then began to run around in circles around Mankey. Mankey was trying to keep up with Pikachu, but it soon got dizzy.

"Now's your chance, Pikachu! Mankey's center is probably its weak spot! Hit right there!" Ash called. For some reason, he saw a strange smile on Chris's face when he ordered that command. Something was up.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu then ran forward and hit Mankey square in the stomach. Mankey yelled in pain before flying backwards. It must have been a critical hit.

"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash said.

"That's exactly what I wanted you to do. You activated my Pokemon's special ability, Anger Point," Chris said before calling out, "Mankey get up and use your Karate Chop!"

Mankey got up, but something was different about it. It was beet red and seemed to be extremely angry. It let out what sounded like a battle cry and charged forward with great speed.

"Pikachu! Use quick attack to get out of the way! Try attacking it from a distance!" Ash said.

"Pikachu obeyed and swiftly got of the way, but Mankey turned just as fast, surprising Pikachu before it was hit by Mankey's Karate Chop.

"Chaaaaaa!" Pikachu cried out before being sent sailing through the air a lot farther than Ash would think from a Karate Chop.

Pikachu hit the wall and then fell to the ground in defeat.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. The winner is Chris!" the judge said, raising its flag to point at Chris.

"One shot. I can't believe it. How?" Ash asked himself. He was clearly stunned.

"It's because you activated my Mankey's special ability, Anger Point. Every time Mankey get hit wit a critical hit. Its attack is boosted to incredible levels. Getting most Pokemon in their weak spot is normally a good strategy, but it works in favor of Mankey. That was your big mistake," Chris said before returning Mankey to its pokeball and leaving the room.

Ash watched him go, and then went over to pick up Pikachu. "Hey Pikachu. You did great buddy. It was my fault," Ash said sadly.

Serena watched Ash from the sidelines. She couldn't believe it. Ash lost, too, and he was doing so well at first. When Serena decided to take on the Battle Chateau challenge. She had no idea it would be this tough.

Ash came up to join them. "I don't understand. I thought Pikachu and I were ready for a battle. Where did I go wrong?" Ash said more to himself than Serena and Misty.

"We better get your Pokemon back to the Pokemon Center," Misty said. "There is something I would like to talk to you two about." She then began to walk away.

"Right," they both said. They then followed Misty.

* * *

The group had now returned to the Pokemon Center. There were now several workers in the lobby that were repairing some of the damage that was caused last night and a few construction workers on the roof that were attempting to repair the hole in the roof. Despite all the loud noise going on, the center was still in operation.

Nurse Joy was surprised to see them back so soon, but still graciously accepted their Pokemon and took them to the back room to heal them. She had told them that their Pokemon's wounds weren't as severe this time, which was a great comfort to Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena were now sitting on a couch in the lobby, both musing to themselves how they could make it as trainers if they were always going to lose this badly. Misty had walked over and was now standing in front of them.

"You two are pretty naïve, you know," Misty suddenly spoke up, causing them both to look at her.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

Misty sighed. "I mean how did you expect to do well at the Battle Chateau when you only have one Pokemon each, and neither of them have ever battled before?" she said with her hands on her hips.

"Well…." Serena began, but couldn't find an answer. Ash was the same way.

"The Battle Chateau, or any other battle facility, isn't to be taken lightly. The trainers that go to that place and that are taking the Indigo League Challenge are just as serious as you two are about becoming trainers. They aren't just going to barge straight in there and expect to win with inexperienced Pokemon." Misty said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"So you are saying it's our Pokemon's fault?" Ash said giving Misty an angry look.

"Of course it isn't! It's YOUR fault for having such poor judgment!" Misty yelled causing Ash to shrink back.

"I thought that if we trusted our Pokemon, that would be enough to win the fight," Ash said sadly and looked down at the floor.

"I'm afraid it isn't," Misty said, also lowering her voice. "Trusting your Pokemon is important in battle, but you also have to be smart in battle also. Your Pokemon had never had a real battle before. If you want to do well in battle, you have to train your Pokemon. Develop a bond with them. Form you own battle style. Get experience! Start by battling other beginning trainers like yourselves, because I guarantee you every other trainer in the Battle Chateau had already been trainers a while."

Ash and Serena closed their eyes. Misty's words stung, but she was right. They were both being too eager for battle. They couldn't just expect to do well with their Pokemon careers if they didn't gain experience first.

"I let you go to the Battle Chateau because I was hoping you would see for yourselves all the aspiring trainers there that were taking their training seriously, hoping for you to follow their example and train just as hard. I didn't think you would actually participate!" Misty said throwing her hands in the air.

Ash and Serena grimaced. That had made a lot of rash decisions so far on their journey, and it's gotten them in trouble each time.

"If you two are going to make it as Pokemon trainers, you have to stop being so impulsive. Think before you do anything. Study your opponent. Read about a Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses before you battle so you know if they have a trick up their sleeve like that Mankey. Start with battles that are more your own level!" Misty continued.

"We're sorry," they both said.

Misty sighed. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing, too."

Just then, the busy signal went off in the back room, signifying Ash and Serena's Pokemon were out of examination. Nurse Joy and Chansey then came out with Pikachu and Charla behind them.

They both went over to their Pokemon seeing them almost as good as new.

"Since the injuries weren't as serious this time, I was able to treat your Pokemon with a super potion each," Nurse Joy smiled.

"That's great!" Ash said Serena got a happy look their face. They then remembered they had something to do.

"Hey, Pikachu. I'm sorry I put you through that. I forgot you had probably never battled since your last trainer. I was really unprepared for the match and you had to suffer at it. I won't that mistake again. Will you forgive me?" Ash asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry, too, Charla. I was really rash to put you into a battle facility for our very first match. I promise I'll make better decisions from now on," Serena said.

Both Pokemon nodded. They both trusted their trainers. They certainly were not going to leave them after one mistake.

"Thanks!" Ash and Serena said gratefully. Ash gave Pikachu a high five and Serena hugging Charla.

They then turned to Misty, now with a renewed look of determination. "You're right, Misty. Thanks for telling us that. I'm going to make sure to make a lot better decisions from now on and not be so rash and stubborn. I'm going to capture more Pokemon and train them hard and form a bond with them. Then together, my Pokemon and I will become great friends and tackle anything ahead of us!" Ash said with a determined look on his face.

"Right! Me, too!" Serena said with an equal amount of determination.

"Sounds good!" Misty said smiling back.

"So where do we head to now?" Serena asked.

"Well I remember Nurse Joy saying that Pewter City is closest. Let's go through the Viridian Forest to get there. We can capture some more Pokemon while we are there and get some training in before our next big battle," Ash said.

"Great. Viridian Forest. Where all the creepy bugs are," Misty mumbled to herself.

"Did you say something, Misty?" Ash asked, him as well as Serena giving Misty a questioning look.

"Nope! Nothing! Let's hurry up and go!" Misty said marching ahead of them.

Serena then returned Charla to her pokeball and began to follow Misty, giving Ash a weird look, as if asking what was up with Misty's behavior.

Ash shrugged and began following also. Pikachu following its trainer.

Everyone waved goodbye to Nurse Joy again and left the building with Ash and Serena's heads held high.

After today, Ash and Serena both realized they still had a lot of growing up to do. Becoming a Pokemon trainer was a big responsibility. They would have to make a lot of rational decisions from now on and would need to mature in order to make it as a trainer. Maybe these losses were just what they needed to get them serious about their careers as well. They had set out on their journey to be best, and that's exactly what they were going to do!

* * *

**I'm sure many of you are probably displeased that both Ash and Serena got creamed their first real match. However, I believe their first loss was necessary in order for them to grow. For those you who thought the battles were a little boring, that was on purpose. Ash and Serena are still new trainers and haven't developed their own battle style yet. The battles will get more exciting in time. At least, I l hope they will. It is something I'm still working on.**

**About the important announcement, I have a very busy month ahead of me. I have various things to do for work, a week long trip to Wisconsin, and a wedding to go to (not mine lol). In short, I won't be able to update this fic at all for the rest of March because I'll be so busy. I must ask for your patience while this month passes. I will update again on the first Tuesday in April, so look for the next chapter around then. Heck, you may even have TWO chapters waiting for you once I come back. Once again thanks for all of the support you guys are showing me and I will see you the first Tuesday in April!**

**Chapter 7: Into the Viridian Forest**

**Answering the Question**

_Will you do movies and such? Or aura with Ash?_

_**Both of those questions are answered at the end of Chapter 3. Look there.**_

_Who will get Togepi?_

_**It won't be Misty. That's all I will say.**_

_Will Ash actually win any Pokemon Leagues this time?_

_**He sure will win some, but I won't say which ones. He won't win all four, but he will still do better than he does in canon at all of them. **_

_Do you plan on having any other shippings in this story for the other girls (Misty, May, Dawn)._

_**This is a very tough question for me because I don't really support many other shippings that don't have Ash in them with the exception of a few. I may have to push away my dislike for some of them so many people can have a happy ending. There will be hints at other shippings though. Probably some with Ash **__**as well which Serena won't **__**like one bit.**_

_Do you plan__to give Ash and Serena any legendary or pseudo legendary Pokemon?_

_**This is also answered at the end of chapter 3.**_

_Do you plan Ash and Serena's carry limit as their skills and ranks grow?_

_**That is an interesting idea. I might do that, but no guarantees.**_

_Will you keep the Pokemon choices strictly to those native in the aforementioned story arc or will you be throwing Pokemon from other regions into the mix early on._

_**There will be some Pokemon introduced early but not a lot. I'm still debating whether to include unova and kalos Pokemon in the sinnoh arc  
**_

_Will Ash's Pokemon stay with him in this story or will he release them like in the show._

_**Butterfree will still be released because I think that is an important step in Ash growing up. He will keep Haunter and Primeape. He will still release Pidgeotto but will actually visit it everytime he is around Pallet Town (like he promised in the anime). He MIGHT keep Lapras.**_

_How long will Brock be coming along? Will he still become a Pokemon Doctor earlier than Sinnoh? Thus leaving Ash and Serena behind to do his studies._

_**Brock will definitely be around in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. I haven't decided if he will travel with them in Sinnoh or not. I think it would be good for Ash and Serena's maturity if a parent/older sibling character like Brock wasn't with them all the time.  
**_

_Will_ _Serena catch Pink Butterfree?_

_**No. It was truthfully one of the ideas I originally had, but then there would be no reason for their Butterfrees to be released if they are already together. So no pink Butterfree for Serena. Sorry.  
**_

_Since Leaf is in this story, is Gary's sister Daisy In it as well?_

_**Daisy exists in this story if that makes any sense. I don't know if she will actually make an appearance in the story yet, but it may be necessary later on.**_

_Will Ash keep Larvitar?_

_**Yes.**_


	7. Into the Virdian Forest

**A/N: Hey guys. Thanks for your patience while I got through this exhausting month. Updates should now return to their weekly/bi-weekly schedule for the foreseeable future. Before the chapter, I would like to say something about Jessie, James, and Meowth. They will be a lot more menacing than they are in the canon anime. This will especially show in the Mt. Moon chapter. They also won't be after Ash's Pikachu in this fic. They have more important things to do than chase around a ten year old. They are also a slightly higher in rank, not an executive, but still above a grunt. Don't worry. They will still be true to their personalities.**

**And here is Chapter 7!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Every single Pokemon and character in this fic belong to Nintendo.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Into the Viridian Forest

"Well, here we are! Viridian Forest!" Ash announced.

The group was now standing at the entrance to a large forest. Viridian City was a few miles behind them. It was now late in the afternoon, and the group wanted to go ahead and trek through as much of the forest as they could before dark. However, Ash was the only one of the group who seemed to be actually looking forward to navigating the forest.

"Uh, do we really have to go in there?" Misty asked in a worried tone.

"Of course! You said it yourself, Misty. Serena and I need to capture more Pokemon to become stronger! I'm certain there are some great bug Pokemon in there for us to capture," Ash replied.

"B-B-Bug Pokemon?" Misty asked and began trembling.

"Misty, you aren't afraid to go in the forest are you? I mean, we have to go through there to get to Pewter City, anyway," Ash tried to reason.

"It isn't the forest itself. It's the….," Misty trailed.

"Well, if you don't want to go in the forest, that's fine. Serena, Pikachu and I can just leave you here. Are you guys ready?" Ash asked them.

Pikachu immediately responded with a "PikaPi" and hopped onto Ash's shoulder. Serena, on the other hand, hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure she wanted to go through such a thick forest at the moment, but Ash did have a point. There were probably more Pokemon in there to catch, and it was the quickest way to Pewter City.

Seeing the look on Serena's face, Ash gave her a reassuring smile. "Hey. Don't worry. Remember the promise we made to look out for each other. You have Charla, Pikachu, and me to look after you. We'll make sure nothing happens to you," he said.

After hearing those words, Serena felt much better and smiled back at Ash. "You're right, Ash! Let's go!" she said as they began walking into the forest.

Misty moaned as she watched them go. "Ohhh….what do I do? What do I do? Grrrrr...hey! Wait for me!" she called. She then hurried after them into Viridian Forest.

* * *

The group had been walking through Viridian Forest for about twenty-five minutes, with Misty trailing a few paces behind Ash and Serena. It had been pretty uneventful. Despite that, Misty kept muttering to herself about how she hated forests like this. It was beginning to wear on everyone else's nerves, particularly because Misty refused to say why she hated the forest.

Ash leaned over to Serena and whispered, "Do you think if we suddenly break out into a run and make several turns that we would be able to lose her?"

Serena giggled, but then sighed nonetheless. "It doesn't seem likely. She would find us sooner or later anyway, and then we would never hear the end of it. Misty must have a tracking system inside of her, considering how she always seems to find us," she replied.

"Yeah, but her whining is beginning to drive me crazy," Ash whispered again. He then looked over at Pikachu who had a deadpan expression on its face, and its ear kept twitching. Ash could tell Misty's complaining wasn't exactly pleasant to Pikachu, either.

"Hey! What are you two whispering about up there?" Misty suddenly spoke.

"It's nothing, Misty," Ash replied without looking back.

"Well, I for one am getting tired of walking for now. I say we take a break for a bit," Misty said while folding her arms over her chest.

Ash and Serena sighed, "Fine," Ash responded, but then lowered his voice for only Serena and Pikachu to hear. "If only for you to be quiet for a moment."

The group then stopped and sat down on the ground. Ash figured since they were taking a break, he might as well have another snack. They had a big breakfast at the Pokemon Center earlier, but it was times like this Ash wished someone in the group was a great cook for when they weren't in civilization. Cooking just wasn't his, Serena's, or Misty's specialty so they had to rely on things like sandwiches or bags of chips for food. It was a little inconvenient, but such was the life of living away from home now.

Serena decided she should release her Charla since it hadn't been outside of its pokeball since Viridian City. "Come on out, Charla," she said as she pushed the button on the pokeball to release her Pokemon.

Charla appeared from the beam of light and looked up at its trainer.

"Are you hungry yet, Charla?" Serena asked.

"Char! Char!" it replied and nodded its head.

Serena smiled, "Well, lucky for you I bought some Pokemon food while we were in Viridian City. Would you like to try some?"

"Charmander!" it replied eagerly.

"Here you go," Serena said as she handed the food to the Pokemon.

Charla grabbed the food and began to eat, but then stopped. It got a disgusted look on its face and forcibly swallowed.

Serena gasped. "Oh no! Do you not like that flavor?!"

Charla shook its head back and forth.

Misty sighed. "Pokemon have their own tastes too, you know. They aren't going to eat anything you give them," she said.

"Right. I'm sorry, Charla. I'll make sure to ask your opinion on food from now on," Serena said apologetically.

Ash pulled some Pokemon food from his backpack also and turned to Pikachu. "How about you Pikachu? Would you like to try some of the Pokemon food I bought for you?" he asked.

Pikachu shrugged. It was pretty indifferent to the taste of Pokemon food. It was all pretty mediocre to the awesomeness in a bottle that was ketchup. If the group could meet someone, like a Pokemon breeder, who knew how to make Pokemon food, and then made it ketchup-flavored, Pikachu would feel like it was in paradise.

Ash smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, I know it's probably not the best quality, buddy, but you do have to eat something. I'll make sure to buy some ketchup in Pewter City to put on your food."

Pikachu then nodded and began to nibble on the food. It would just have to bear it until then.

Misty unzipped her bag and took out a cheese sandwich she had made before they left the Pokemon Center. She was just about to take a bite when she felt something nudge against her leg. Thinking it was Charla or Pikachu, Misty smiled and said. "Oh, would one of you like a bite of my sandwich? Here you go." She then broke off a small piece of her sandwich and turned, only to find it wasn't Charla or Pikachu that was against her leg.

It was a small caterpillar Pokemon. It was light green in color and had a yellow underside. It had large black eyes and a pink antenna on its forehead. The Pokemon was Caterpie. It was looking up at Misty expectantly.

Misty froze and stared in horror at the Caterpie that was against her leg. She began to tremble violently, dropping her sandwich and let out a scream loud enough to break the sound barrier. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The scream alarmed the rest of group who immediately quit what they were doing to see what could cause such a scream from Misty.

"Misty! What's wrong?! Are you hurt?! Were you mugged!?" Ash asked with worry as he and Serena went over to her.

"It's that thing! It touched me! Gross! Gross! Gross!" Misty shrieked.

"What did?!" cried Serena.

"That bug!" Misty shrieked again pointing at the Caterpie who was looking at Misty in confusion.

"Oh! A Caterpie! Cool!" Ash said as he and Serena pulled out their pokedexes to scan it

"Caterpie, the worm Pokemon. "It's short feet are tipped with suction pads which enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls," the pokedex said.

"So you screamed just because a Caterpie touched you?" Serena asked while giving Misty a deadpan look.

"Bugs are disgusting! Bugs are gross! I hate them!" Misty cried.

"This little guy won't hurt anyone," Ash said. It was just then something occurred to him. "Wait a second, Misty. Are you afraid of bugs? Is that why you were so hesitant to come into the forest?"

"Fine! I admit it! I hate bugs! They disgust me!" Misty shouted.

"You're being ridiculous, Misty. Caterpie isn't going to hurt you. It seems really nice. In fact, I'm going to catch it!" Ash stated.

"What!?" Misty cried.

Ash then pulled out a spare pokeball from his belt and turned his hat back. "Pokeball, go!" he yelled as he threw the pokeball forward.

The pokeball soared through air and connected with Caterpie which was sucked into the ball. The pokeball landed on the ground and began to shake. Ash and the other watched in anticipation for the catch to be complete.

"Come on," Ash said to himself. The tension was killing him. The ball finally stopped shaking and 'dinged' to signal Caterpie had been captured.

Ash's face immediately broke out into a grin. He couldn't contain his excitement. "Alright! I caught my first Pokemon! Yes!" he cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

"Pi! Pikachu!" Pikachu said holding out its fingers in a V shape.

Serena was so happy for Ash since he caught his first Pokemon. Now all she had to do was catch one herself, and they would be in good shape. "Congratulations, Ash!" she said happily.

"Thanks, Serena!" Ash replied before going over to the pokeball. He then picked it up and kneeled down to show it to Pikachu and Charla. "Check it out guys. We made a new Pokemon friend for you to play with. The Pokemon smiled and nodded their heads to show their approval.

"Wait. Where did Misty go?" Serena asked.

Ash looked, and sure enough, the space that Misty was occupying a moment before was now vacant. They then looked around and spotted her hiding behind a tree with only a small part of her head peeking out.

Ash went over to her. "Come on now, Misty. You aren't afraid of an itty-bitty Caterpie, are you?" he asked in a teasing tone and showed the pokeball to Misty.

Misty then recoiled. "Eww! Get it away from me!" she yelled.

Ash then sighed. "You can at least be happy for me. I just caught my first Pokemon, and all you are doing is screaming," he muttered with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"I'm glad you caught a Pokemon, but why did it have to be a bug of all things!? I can't stand bugs!" Misty yelled again.

"Yes. You have made that very clear, Misty," Serena said in an annoyed tone as she joined Ash and Misty. "Personally, I think Caterpie is adorable, Ash."

Ash smiled back at Serena. "Thanks, Serena!" Hopefully you can catch yourself a bug Pokemon soon as well," Ash said.

"Lovely," Misty mumbled sarcastically. Ash and Serena ignored that comment.

"Hey. You know what? We haven't properly met Caterpie yet! Let's introduce ourselves!" Ash suggested.

Misty got a luck of disgust on her face, "Oh no. Does that mean….."

"Yep! Come on out, Caterpie!" Ash called as he opened his pokeball which released Caterpie.

"Aaaaahhh!" Misty screamed as she ran back several yards.

Caterpie stared around at its surroundings in wonder before settling its eyes on Ash. Ash knelt down and said, "Hi there, Caterpie. My name is Ash Ketchum. It's nice to meet you. We are going to have many great adventures together."

Caterpie gave the equivalent of a smile and nodded its head.

"You are really cute, Caterpie," Serena said as she knelt down also. She then reached over and began to pet it.

Caterpie cooed while Serena was petting it. Its eyes then landed on Misty a short distance away. It then then charged forward straight at Misty.

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Misty screamed as Caterpie reached her. It then began to rub against Misty's leg affectionately, which caused her scream more.

"See, Misty? Caterpie is really nice, and it even likes you. You should give it a chance and become friends with it," Ash told her.

"No way! I could never be friends with such a creepy bug!" Misty exclaimed jumping away from Caterpie, saddening it and making its eyes water. "I'll tell you what. You and Serena can be friends with Caterpie, and I'll be friends with Pikachu and Charla," she said.

"That isn't going to work. We are all going to be traveling together, and so we should all be friends and get along, even you and Caterpie," Ash said a little sternly.

Misty then looked down and saw Caterpie rubbing against her leg again. She let out another mighty scream and ran a short distance away.

Ash then got an angry look on his face. "I can't believe you, Misty. Caterpie has been nothing but nice to you, and you are treating it like dirt!"

"I can't help it that I don't like bugs, Ash!" Misty shouted. "Bugs are one of the three most disgusting things in the world!"

"Besides you, what's the other one?" Ash retorted.

"I hate carrots, beets, and bugs! Everyone has something they don't like!" Misty stated.

Ash then stuck his tongue out at her. "Oh yeah!? Well I like carrots and beets and bugs! What I DON'T like, is the way you are hurting Caterpie's feelings with your silly fear of bugs!" he fired back.

He then looked and saw Caterpie slowly crawling off with an upset look on its face. "Hey, Caterpie. Where are you going?" Ash asked.

Caterpie went to its pokeball, pressed the button with its nose, and allowed itself back in the pokeball.

Ash then turned to glare at Misty. "Now look what you've done. I don't know how you expect to keep traveling with us if you are going to insult my Pokemon. Let's go Serena and Pikachu!" he said as he went to grab Caterpie's pokeball. He then picked it up and began to walk off. Pikachu joined Ash and jumped onto his right shoulder.

Serena gave Misty a glare of her own before she and Charla followed Ash.

"Hey! You can't leave me here! What about my bike?!" Misty called after them.

Serena rolled her eyes. Misty was STILL carrying on about her bike.

"We told you we would pay you back for your bike, didn't we? And we will. You don't need to follow us around. We have your number so we can call you anytime we have the money," Ash replied back.

Misty watched them walk off with a look of anger, but it quickly turned to a look of regret. It was true she thought bugs were incredibly disgusting, but maybe she was overreacting. Caterpie was, after all, certainly not trying to hurt her. It was just being friendly. Maybe she could at least try to be nice to it, as long as it didn't touch her, that is.

* * *

"Is Misty still following us?" Serena asked as she, Ash, and their Pokemon continued to walk along the forest path.

Ash turned around to see Misty walking several yards back and sighed. "Yes. When will she get the message that we don't really want her with us right now? We don't need insensitive bug haters on our team."

Misty happened to hear that comment, and it did sting a little bit. These kids did owe her a bike, but she could still try to be a little nicer to them. When they weren't fighting, like when they worked together to defend against Team Rocket, they could all get along pretty well. Maybe she could lighten up a little bit.

"Hey! Wait up!" Misty called as she ran forward to catch up.

"Just keep walking, guys," Ash muttered.

"Wait!" Misty called again once she reached the group.

"Yes?" Ash sighed.

"I wanted to say I was sorry. I still think bugs are gross, but you are right. Caterpie was just being nice. I'll at least be nice back to it," Misty said.

"In that case, I would like you to apologize to Caterpie face-to-face," Ash said while stopping. He then took out Caterpie's pokeball and released Caterpie.

Caterpie looked curiously to see what Ash needed. When it saw Misty, it immediately got a sad look on its face and looked down at the ground.

Misty stared at Caterpie fearfully for a moment before taking a deep breath and kneeling down. "Hey, Caterpie. I'm sorry about the way I treated you earlier. It's just that I have a fear of bugs, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she said apologetically.

"Now I want you to give it a small rub on the head," Ash told her.

"Do I have to?" Misty asked nervously.

"Go on, Misty," Serena urged.

Misty then gave a small gulp and very slowly reached out her hand to pet Caterpie. It was looking up at her expectantly. "_Get over yourself, Misty. Caterpie isn't going to hurt you!"_ she thought as she took another deep breath and gently placed her hand on Caterpie's head and began rubbing her hand back and forth.

Caterpie made a delightful chirp as Misty continued to rub its head. Ash and Serena smiled at the scene before them. "See Misty? Isn't so much easier when we can all get along?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, it is," Misty replied.

* * *

It was now nighttime in Viridian Forest. The group had already eaten a small supper of sandwiches and were now getting ready for bed. Everyone had already stepped away to change into their pajamas. Caterpie was staring at the moon. It was full and gave off a nice glow to the forest after the campfire was put out.

Ash gave a huge yawn as he got into his sleeping bag. He then turned to Pikachu who had curled up on the side of his pillow. "It was a good day today, huh, Pikachu? We made a new friend today. Now we are going to capture more Pokemon and win the Pokemon League."

"Pikachu!" it agreed.

Serena pulled out her sleeping bag and set it down next to Ash on his right. She then got into it herself. Charla lay down next to Serena, but made sure keep its fiery tail away from her.

Misty pulled hers out and set it down next to Serena and likewise got into it. "I've had a pretty tiring day. I'm going to go ahead and go to sleep. Good night," she said as she lay her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes.

"_It's no surprise you are tired with all that screaming you did today,_" Serena thought, but kept it to herself. She then turned to where Ash was laying. She couldn't tell if he still had his eyes open in the dark but decided he was still awake. "Hey, Ash. We sure had an eventful day, didn't we?" she whispered.

"Yeah, we did," he answered, confirming that he was still awake. "We had our first real battles at the Battle Chateau, I captured my first Pokemon, and now we are sleeping outside on a beautiful clear night."

"Speaking of the Battle Chateau, I thought it was pretty fun. It's like a Pokemon tournament itself because you are rising to the top. The gym challenge has never interested me much, but at the Battle Chateau I get to dress up and receive ranks on how well I do. I think I'm going to continue doing it while we are traveling."

"That's great that you found something you wanted to do for a while," Ash whispered happily. "I'm behind you all the way. I know you can win it."

"Do you really think so, Ash?" Serena asked.

"I really do 'Duchess Serena'," Ash smiled.

"Thanks, Ash. I have no doubt you can win the Pokemon League also," Serena said, smiling back.

"Yeah. We are going to be known all throughout the whole region, the Pokemon Master Couple. Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," Ash declared.

Serena blushed at the choice of words Ash used, Ash and her, a couple. She then let out a small giggle, "Hee hee! That sounds great, Ash. Let's do it," she confirmed.

Ash gave another yawn. "Yeah. Well, good night, Serena," he said. He then shifted a little in his sleeping bag to get more comfortable. He then whispered "Good night" to Pikachu and closed his eyes to sleep.

Serena couldn't see Ash in the dark, but could hear his light breathing as he fell asleep. "_He sounds so peaceful when he sleeps. It's so cute,_" Serena thought. For all of the small quirks Ash had, at the end of the day, Serena didn't care. All she knew was Ash was the nicest boy she has ever known, and she cared a lot about him, and he has shown several times that he cares a lot for her as well. She hoped, one day, Ash will realize her feelings for him, and return them as well. She smiled at the thought of them together as a couple. It was that thought alone that brought peace to her mind despite the busy day she had. She was asleep as well within a few minutes.

Meanwhile, Pikachu had opened his eyes slightly and noticed Caterpie was still looking up at the moon. It had a longing expression on its face. Deciding to go see what was on the Pokemon's mind, Pikachu quietly slipped off the side of Ash's pillow. This got Charla's attention as it saw Pikachu walk by it. Charla got up also, and together with Pikachu, joined Caterpie

("What are you still doing up?") Pikachu asked.

("I can't sleep. I have too much on my mind.") Caterpie replied

("What are you thinking about?") Charla inquired.

("It's my dream to become a Butterfree one day, but I'm so weak I don't think I can do it.") Caterpie replied.

("I know how you feel. I can't stop thinking about what it must be like to fly high above in the sky as a Charizard.") Charla said. She then gushed (Not to mention what it would be like to have a boyfriend to fly along in the sky with.")

("Yeah. Flying must be a great feeling.") Pikachu agreed. (But I know you both will fly someday. You should follow your dreams no matter what.")

("I don't know. I can't do anything useful except Tackle and String Shot. What could I possibly beat to gain experience in battle.") Caterpie said dejectedly.

Pikachu gave Caterpie a reassuring pat on the back. (It's okay. I know you can do it. Ash is a great person. He will make sure you become a Butterfree no matter what!") it said. Pikachu then added in, ("You are also a great and friendly Pokemon yourself. Even Misty is being nice to you now.")

("Thanks. I feel a little bit better now. I think I'm going to go sleep now.") Caterpie said. It then crawled away from the group and snuggled up next to Ash's sleeping bag.

("Caterpie is so nice. I hope it finds its soul mate one day.") Charla said.

("It will. I know Ash won't let it down.") Pikachu replied.

* * *

The group woke the next morning to the sound of cooing. They groggily opened their eyes and noticed a Pokemon a short distance away from them. It was pecking at the ground, apparently looking for breakfast.

"Oh! A Pidgeotto!" Ash exclaimed, now fully awake. He then pulled out his pokedex to scan it. "PIdgeotto, the bird Pokemon and the evolved form of Pidgey. Unlike the gentle Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be dangerous. Approach with extreme caution," the pokedex said in its monotone voice.

"I think I'm going to catch it!" Ash stated. He knew Pidgeotto was not going to go down without a fight, so he didn't even attempt to throw his pokeball at it yet.

"Who are you going to use to battle Pidgeotto?" Serena questioned as she gave a stretch. She wasn't quite awake yet.

"I'm going to use Pikachu, of course. There's no way I'm going to have Caterpie battle against a bird," Ash replied. He then returned Caterpie to its pokeball to get it out of harm's way and faced Pidgeotto.

"You're up, Pikachu!" Ash said. Pikachu then ran forward and stood in front of Pidgeotto.

This got Pidgeotto's attention. It gave Pikachu an intimidating look to try and get it to back down. Serena and Misty went over to stand beside Ash and watch.

Ash took a deep breath. This was his first time to battle a wild Pokemon and capture it. He could do this. Flying types like Pidgeotto were weak against electric-types like Pikachu so he had an advantage.

"Pikachu! Try a Thundershock attack!" Ash called.

Pikachu obeyed and launched the attack from its cheeks at Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto took flight into the air and dodged the electricity with ease.

"Pidgeo!" it cried before flapping its wings and creating a gust of wind which knocked Pikachu back into a tree. It then fell to the ground on its stomach.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?" Ash asked as Pikachu.

"Pika!" it cried and jumped back to its feet, signaling it still had plenty of fight in it.

"Awesome! Try another Thundershock!" Ash ordered.

Pidgeotto swooped back down to give a Wing Attack to Pikachu. Pikachu charged up its cheeks and released its attack. Pidgeotto used Agility and dodged the attack again.

"It's no good, Ash. Pidgeotto is too quick!" Misty said.

"Right," Ash said to himself. It seemed the only way Pikachu could hit Pidgeotto was at close range. "Pikachu! Stay where you are and wait for Pidgeotto to come back down!" he called.

Pikachu nodded its head and stood its ground. Pidgeotto circled around, and then dove straight down again right at Pikachu.

"Wait for it a little longer, Pikachu!" Ash said.

Pikachu nodded. It trusted its trainer's judgment. Pidgeotto continued to get closer and closer. Pikachu still stood where it was, it eyes locked with an intense stare at Pidgeotto. Then at the last second, Ash made his move.

"Pikachu! Jump onto Pidgeotto's back!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu then leaped into the air and landed on Pidgeotto's back just before it could ram into Pikachu. Pidgeotto then took off into the air again and began to desperately try to shake Pikachu off, but it held on tight.

"Go for it, Pikachu! Use Thundershock!" Ash called once more.

Pikachu nodded and unleashed the attack, completely shocking Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto cried out from the pain and began to fall to the ground. Pikachu then leaped off Pidgeotto and began falling also.

Ash ran over to catch Pikachu and smiled at it. "You were awesome!" he praised. Ash then looked over to see Pidgeotto fall onto the ground. It then struggled to get back up. "Alright! Here we go!" Ash said as he set Pikachu down. He then turned his hat backwards and reached for a spare pokeball. "Pokeball! Go!" he cried as he threw it.

The pokeball made a direct hit with its target and sucked Pidgeotto inside. The ball landed on the ground and shook back and forth violently. Pidgeotto was clearly putting up more of a fight than Caterpie was. After about ten seconds, the pokeball finally dinged. Pidgeotto had been captured successfully.

"Yes! We caught Pidgeotto!" Ash cried out in joy. He had already caught another Pokemon one day after his last. He was on roll and was really excited. He then went and showed everyone. "Check it out guys, the first Pokemon I had to battle to capture! How did I do?" he asked.

"You did great, Ash! I'm so proud of you!" Serena replied happily.

"Yeah. You actually did really well, Ash. Congratulations," Misty praised.

Ash smiled. Misty finally had approved of something he did.

"Now, not to be rude, but can we please hurry up and get a move on? I would like to get out of this forest as soon as possible," Misty suggested.

Ash nodded. "Alright. We can go now, but we need to make sure Serena can capture a Pokemon soon as well," Ash said while motioning to Serena.

The group nodded and was about to continue on their way when they heard voices close by.

"We've been wandering around in this forest for two days now. I thought you said you knew where the exit was, Jessie!" one voice said

"I do, James! I just think the scenery is so beautiful, we should take the scenic route!" another voice retorted.

"Meoooowth! Just admit that we're lost and that you don't have clue where you're going!" a third voice said in an annoyed tone.

The group froze. They knew those voices. It couldn't be them again already, could it?

"Let's just try to avoid them if we can," Ash whispered, and the rest of the group nodded.

"Hey! Did you hear another voice? There is someone else close by! Maybe they can show us the way out!" one of the voices suggested eagerly.

The group of trainers were fixing to make a run for it, but wasn't quick enough. About five seconds later, they saw a certain trio emerge from the trees, and they looked extremely dirty and tired. It was Team Rocket from the Pokemon Center.

"Thank goodness we found someone else here! Can you tell…." James began, but stopped himself when he saw who it was.

Team Rocket immediately composed themselves and got a serious look on their faces. "I mean of course we found you here!" James finished. They then began their motto.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"Are you three lost? Because if you are, the exit is that way," Serena said while pointing behind them, hoping to avoid a conflict.

"We are not lost, and we don't want you help!" Jessie retorted angrily. "We are only in this forest in the first place because you three sent us flying here the other night after the explosion!"

"Look, we don't really want to fight anyone. We just want to continue on our way. Can we just go our separate ways and hopefully never see each other again?" Ash asked hopefully.

"Humph! Normally we wouldn't waste our time with kids such as yourselves, but you humiliated us so badly back at the Pokemon Center that we are going to take revenge on you! We are going to beat you to a pulp, and then steal your Pokemon!" Jessie said as she reached for her pokeball, James doing the same. Meowth then extended his claws.

"Go, Ekans!"

"Go, Koffing!"

Ash sighed. "I guess we don't have a choice. You're up, Pikachu!" he said.

"Go, Charmander!" Serena cried, releasing her Pokemon.

"Misty calls….Staryu!" Misty said, releasing hers as well.

"Ha! You think you're little Pokemon can beat ours? We are prepared this time! Koffing! Use Sludge attack!" James ordered.

Koffing then shot a thick, black sludge from its mouth, straight at Pikachu. The sludge hit PIkachu right in the face. It couldn't see!

"Chaaa!" Pikachu cried as it tried to wipe the sludge from its face.

"Oh no! Pikachu! Hey! That was really low!" Ash said in anger to Team Rocket.

"We aren't battling to play fair, you twerp!" James answered.

"Grr…Pikachu! It's no good!" Ash said as he ran to pick up his Pokemon to get him away from the battle. Ash knew he couldn't send out Pidgeotto since it was still weak from being caught and needed time to rest. He certainly couldn't use Caterpie against these guys. He would have to leave it up to Serena and Misty.

"One down. Two to go," Jessie smirked.

"Koffing! Use Sludge attack again on that Staryu!" James ordered again, the Pokemon obeying its command."

"We aren't going to fall for that one!" Misty stated. "Staryu! Get out of the way, and use Water Gun on the sludge to dissolve it!"

Staryu immediately spun out of the way and used Water Gun on the grime. It was blasted downward onto the ground where it soon dissolved.

"Charla! Use Ember attack!" Serena called out.

"Ekans dig underground!" Jessie ordered as Ekans immediately began to burrow in the ground, completely dodging the attack. It then went into the hole it created with Koffing following it.

"Be careful, Charla! They can come up anywhere!" Serena warned.

Charla nodded and began to listen around for the two Pokemon. It soon felt some movement right beneath its feet and jumped out of the way. Ekans and Koffing soon emerged out of the ground. Charla had managed to avoid most of the attack, but the force still knocked it to its back.

Ekans and Koffing were now just in front of Charla. They both reared back and prepared to strike.

"Use Ember quick, Charla!" Serena said hurriedly.

"Quick Staryu!" Water Gun both Ekans and Koffing! Misty called.

Staryu sent a gush of water out of its top end. The force of the water knocked not only knocked Ekans and Koffing out of the way, it also gave Charla enough to time to shoot its Ember attack. The embers soared the air and struck Ekans and Koffing, both of them yelling in pain.

"Thanks for bailing me out again, Misty," Serena said gratefully.

"No problem," Misty replied before turning back to the battle.

"That Staryu is really getting annoying! Let's attack it together, James!" Jessie suggested, receiving a nod from her partner.

"Koffing! Use Sludge attack again!" James ordered.

"That won't work this time either!" Misty said. "Staryu! Use Water Gun on the sludge again!"

Staryu obeyed and began to spray the sludge. It wasn't counting on Ekans and Koffing to charge at it while it was busy. The sludge attack must have been a decoy. Serena saw this and ordered Charla to rush in and do an Ember attack, but it was too late. Ekans and Koffing both rammed into Staryu knocking onto the ground it pain. The embers soared through the air and struck the two Pokemon again.

"Charla, run up to Ekans and use Scratch!" Serena said.

Charla ran up to do the attack to Ekans, but was knocked away by its tail. Its attention then shifted back to Staryu which was still stuggling to get up.

"Come on, Staryu! Get up!" Misty urged.

"Hurry Ekans! Use Poison Sting!" Jessie called.

"Use Sludge, Koffing!" James said.

Both Pokemon obeyed and launched their respective attacks. Staryu was unable to get up in time and was struck by both attacks. It finally slumped in defeat, its red jewel blinking.

"Oh, no! Staryu, return!" Misty said as she returned Staryu to its pokeball. She then looked at the pokeball sadly. "You fought great, Staryu," she told it.

"That's two down," James smirked. "All that's left is that Charmander. Our prize for winning this battle shall be all of your Pokemon."

Ash, Serena, and Misty grimaced at the situation. They didn't think Charla would be able to take on both Ekans and Koffing due to its lack of experience.

Pikachu began to struggle in Ash's arms. It wanted to fight, too. Ash held it back, though. "I know you want to help fight, Pikachu, but you can't in your current condition," he told it.

"We'll tell you what," Meowth began, "Go ahead and hand over all your Pokemon right now, and we might let you go without any injuries."

"Never! Charla and I will keep fighting until the end!" Serena shouted.

"Heh! Foolish girl. You can't take us both on," Jessie sneered.

Ash gritted his teeth. Pikachu and Pidgeotto were in no condition to fight. His only other option was Caterpie. It was extremely risky, but he decided to believe in the strength of his Pokemon.

"Caterpie! I choose you!" Ash yelled as he threw his pokeball and released Caterpie.

"You're going to use Caterpie, Ash? You can't be serious!" Misty exclaimed.

"There aren't any options left. I'm not letting Serena take on these crooks alone. I believe in my Pokemon!" Ash said firmly.

Serena was wondering about Ash's decision, too, but decided to trust his judgment. "Alright Ash! Let's do it!" she said giving him a smile.

Team Rocket, on the other hand, began laughing.

"Hahahahahaha!" You're actually serious!?" James laughed

"That measly bug won't make a difference!" Jessie likewise laughed

"It's not even worth battling!" Meowth said in a fit giggles.

Ash blushed in embarrassment but quickly shook it off. "We'll show them, Caterpie! Let's get them!" he said.

"Well, if you insist. Ekans! Go get your dinner!" Jessie shouted. Ekans obeyed its trainer and lunged forward straight at Caterpie with its mouth open.

"Quick Charla!" Use Ember on Ekans!" Serena called. Charla prepared to launch ember but was quickly tackled by Koffing before it could launch the attack.

Caterpie stood frozen in fear as Ekans got closer and closer. Ash didn't know what to do. He should have known this was a bad idea. Misty had warned him about making rash decisions, and now he was about to lose his Pokemon because of his poor judgment.

Ash gritted his teeth and began to quiver. "_No, not Caterpie,_" he thought. He then closed his eyes. He couldn't bear to watch what was about to happen. There was no way Catperpie could get out of the way in time.

"Ash! Remember what you told me? Never give up until the end!" Serena shouted.

Ash heard those words and opened his eyes. Wait. What was wrong with him? He was going to be a Pokemon Master! He's not going to cower in fear every single time his Pokemon are in danger! He and his Pokemon are a team! He will never abandon his Pokemon like this! If there was even a chance he could win, he was going to take it!

"Caterpie! Use your String Shot!" Ash hollered with determination.

Caterpie shook out of its fear once its trainer gave a command. It then summoned the courage within itself and launched a String Shot right at Ekans face. The sting connected and immediately began to wrap around Ekan's upper half.

Ekans halted its attack as it began stuggle to get the sticky string off of it. Pretty soon, its entire head was covered, and it could no longer see to attack.

"Are you kidding me?!" Jessie exclaimed in amazement that her snake was beaten by a caterpillar.

"I'll take care of it, Jessie," James said. "Koffing. Use Tackle."

"Not so fast! Charla! Use Ember again!" Serena said.

Serena noticed that Charla shot its embers from its mouth at a much faster rate than what it had been doing. It must be gaining experience. The embers soared through the air and struck Koffing, halting its attack.

"Thanks, Serena! Now Caterpie! Use String Shot on Koffing!" Ash said.

Caterpie then launched its String Shot again. Koffing was still slightly dazed from the fast shooting embers so it couldn't dodge in time. It soon also began to be covered. Soon enough, its entire body was covered, and it fell to the ground in defeat.

"Koffing! I can't believe it!" James cried in disbelief.

"Meowth! Let's see you handle me! Fury swipes!" Meowth shouted.

Caterpie launch another string shot at Meowth and it was soon covered also and unable to move.

"This is ridiculous! We better blast off while we can!" Jessie shouted as she and James returned their pokemon to their pokeballs.

"This is the second time you twerps have humiliated us! You three are now enemies of Team Rocket! We will retreat for now, but you better hope you never cross our paths again or else!" James threatened.

Jessie and James then picked up Meowth and began to run in the opposite direction from the group, but then stopped. "Uh, didn't the girl say the closest exit out of here was the other way?" they wondered aloud. Team Rocket then U turned and ran past the group as fast as they could and soon disappeared from view.

As the group watched them go, Ash and Serena couldn't help but be amazed. They had won just won their first Pokemon battle fair and square. On top of that, they defended their Pokemon from being stolen. Needless to say, they were feeling very pleased.

"We did it," Ash said in surprise, turning to Serena. "We actually did it!" His face then broke into a big smile.

"We did, didn't we?!" Serena replied.

"I couldn't have done without you, Serena! You reminded me to never give up until the end!" Ash praised.

"Hahaha, Yeah. Well…." Serena trailed while blushing.

Finally unable to contain their excitement any longer, Ash and Serena gave each other a great big hug, their Pokemon coming over to join them.

"You two did do very well," Misty said while smiling. "If you just keep a cool head the entire time and don't panic when your Pokemon are in danger, you can pull through!"

"You're right," Ash nodded as he and Serena released each other from the hug. He then turned to Caterpie and picked it up. "You were great Caterpie." He then began to stroke its head.

"You too, Charla," Serena said as she stroked her Pokemon's head as well.

Ash then turned to Misty. "Hey, Misty. Why don't you pet Caterpie as well and tell it what a great job it did?" He then held out Caterpie in front of Misty.

Misty recoiled a little, but then sighed. "I guess I should." She then slowly reached out her hand. She did this once, and she could do it again. "_Caterpie isn't going to do anything_," she thought. Just before her hand reached Caterpie, it unleashed a String Shot attack almost right in Misty's face.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" Misty screamed.

Ash, however, noticed something different about this String Shot. Caterpie seemed to be doing it to itself. "Uh, Caterpie?" he asked in confusion as he set it on the ground.

The String Shot continued to cover Caterpie. At last when several layers were formed, the string glowed green and then turned into what seemed to be a cocoon with eyes.

"Wow, Caterpie! You evolved into a Metapod!" Ash exclaimed happily. He then pulled out his pokedex to scan it.

"Metapod, Caterpie's next stage. Its shell is as hard as an iron slab. A Metapod does not move very much because it is preparing its soft innards for evolution inside the shell," the pokedex's monotone voice said.

"This is so great, Ash! Congratulations!" Serena said.

"Thanks Serena! Isn't that great Caterpie…..I mean Metapod?! You are one step closer to becoming a Butterfree!" Ash told Metepod.

Pikachu and Charla went over to Metapod to congratulate it also. They still remembered the conversation they had last night, and told Metapod that this proved that it could still make its dream come true.

Metapod didn't say anything in response but wiggled a little bit to show it agreed.

"Hahaha! Don't feel like saying much, do you?" Ash laughed. He then picked up Metapod and showed it to Misty again. "Don't forget, Misty. Go ahead and congratulate Metapod."

Misty reached out her hand to pet Metapod again, but then a Beedrill flew by her causing her to scream again.

"I'll do anything! Let's just get out of this forest!" she yelled.

"No way! There are still a lot more Pokemon to catch!" Ash stated. "Let's go, guys!" He then ran off while still holding Metapod, his Pikachu following him.

"Wait up, Ash!" Serena called as she and Charla followed Ash.

"Don't leave me here by myself!" Misty yelled as she ran to catch up.

* * *

**For those of you wondering when Serena will catch a Pokemon, she will capture her first one next chapter and another one right after Pewter City. So don't worry, she will have a fu****ll team as well. I actually think the Pokemon she acquires after Pewter City will be quite humorous, but no spoilers! I'll try to have the next chapter up in few days rather than a week to make up for my long absence. Stay tuned for Chapter 8!**

**Chapter 8: Challenge of the Samurai  
**

**Answering the questions:**

_No matter what shippings are hinted, it'll still be an AmourShipping fic mainly right?_

**_Absolutely!_**

_Will Ash get a Male Ralts and Serena get a Female Ralts? Will a Manaphy show up in the story? Will Ash and Serena get 2 Clamperl respectively? Will Ash and Serena get Lotad and a Seedot respectively? Will either Ash or Serena get any Fossil Pokemon from Unova or Kalos?_

**_All of these are interesting ideas, but too far off for me to tell since I haven't fully outlined Hoenn and beyond yet. Ask me again when I'm further along in the series._**

_Also do you plan to include a rival who falls for Serena and is constantly trying to win her from Ash?_

**_Unless someone appears in the anime to do this, the answer is probably no. I want to avoid OCs at all costs since most of the time they never turn out well. However, if I can find a person in the anime who has already appeared that can suit the role believably, I will include this idea._**

_Will you do an alternate take on the eighth Pokémon movie?_

**_I haven't decided if I will do the eighth movie yet._**

_Will Pikachu still learn volt tackle just like in the anime?_

**_Pikachu will still learn Volt Tackle. It will also be earlier than in the anime._**

_Are you going to cover the Kanto Battle Frontier arc after the Hoenn League?_

_**Yes. It will part of the Hoenn arc of this series.  
**_

_Will Charizard be more obidient?_

_**Yes.**_

_Will Brock still go gaga for every pretty face?_

**_Yes. It's part of who he is._**

_Will Ash get another native Kanto flying type because it looks like he has a flying type from every region._

**_He might._**

_Will Misty yell at Ash a lot and will Serena defend him?_

**_I plan on having Misty be a little more mature in this story than what she was in canon. Naturally, she and Ash will get along a little better. If Misty does decide to yell at Ash at some point, you can bet Serena will sass back to Misty._**

_Will Ash be more powerful than Serena and will Serena be a Coordinator?_

**_The first question is a secret. :) As for the second one, I don't plan on having Serena be a coordinator right now. We have enough of those already._**

_Will Serena have a female rival? Just like Ash has one in Gary?_

**_Similar to the question of a love rival, I will not do this unless it happens in the anime. The only exception being if I can find an already existing character to fill the role._**

_When will the story get really romantic?_

**_If you mean a lemon or making out, probably never. This is an amourshipping story, and Ash and Serena will start dating at some point. There will be several "Aw" moments between the two before and while they are dating. There will be jealousy from both ends, arguments, and tear-jerking times as well between them. Basically, there will be a lot of shipping moments and their relationship with each other will help them grow, but at the end of the day, this is still a fic about Ash and Serena's journey to be the best, and the romance between the two is a subplot._**


	8. Challenge of the Samurai

**A/N: Here is Chapter 8 up soon like I promised. It seems all of you are mind readers when it came to Jessie, James, and Meowth. All of you were spot on with what they are going to be doing. Yes, they will have grunts working underneath them on most missions. They will also be a little sadistic when pushed far enough. They won't appear again until Mt. Moon, though. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Challenge of the Samurai

The group was in really high spirits at the moment. A lot of good things had happened so far on their way through Viridian Forest. Ash had captured not one, but two Pokemon, a Pidgeotto and Caterpie. They were even able to defend their Pokemon from Team Rocket, and in doing so Ash and Serena won their first Pokemon battle fair and square. Caterpie had even evolved into Metapod in the process. All that was left now for their trek through Viridian Forest to be successful was have Serena catch her first Pokemon as well. She might get that opportunity right now.

"Hey! Look guys! It's a Weedle!" Ash said excitedly, pointing at one that was crawling along in their path.

Weedle was a light brown caterpillar-like Pokemon with pink suction cup feet. It looked harmless enough if you didn't count the stinger on its forehead.

"Great. More bugs," Misty mumbled, but not loud enough for the others to hear.

"Serena, you should try to capture this Weedle since you haven't gotten a Pokemon yet," Ash told her.

"Right! Thanks, Ash!" Serena said. This was going to be her first attempt to catch another Pokemon. She could do this. She was just about to throw the pokeball to release Charla, but Weedle had suddenly disappeared.

"Uh, where did it go?" Serena asked.

"Well, it was just another bug so….."Misty began, but then she felt something against her leg. She looked down, and there was Weedle rubbing against her leg. Why were bug Pokemon so attracted to her?!

Misty let out a mighty scream and fled away from the group. She had really had it with this forest.

"She'll be back in a little bit," Ash told Serena, who giggled in response.

* * *

"Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! I hate bugs!" Misty continued to say to herself.

Here she was, trying to be nice to Caterpie, and even not be repulsed at the sight of a bug. So what does one do? It touches her at the first chance it gets. Ugh! Bug Pokemon really _bugged _her!

"I can't wait until we're out of this horrible forest!" Misty continued to complain. "I don't see how this could get any worse!"

Just then, she heard what sounded like a battle cry as a boy jumped out of the bushes beside her. He was oddly dressed to say the least. He wore a helmet on his head and was dressed in a red shirt and black shorts. He wore sandles on his feet and had a bug catching net strapped to his back. It wasn't any of those things that had Misty's attention, however. It was the sword that he was pointing right at her face. Maybe she spoke too soon about how it couldn't get any worse.

Misty stared fearfully at the sword until finally the strange boy spoke up.

"Greetings, maiden. I am Samurai. Am I addressing a trainer from the town of Pallet?" he asked.

"No! No! That's not me! I'm not from Pallet Town!" Misty said frantically while shaking her head back and forth.

To her great relief, he finally removed the sword from in front of her face and sheathed it by his side. "Alas," Samurai said. "I apologize. My search shall continue."

Samurai then began to walk off but stopped. "I would advise you to quit screaming while you are in this forest. Before you ask, yes, I heard you earlier. If you continue, you will only attract a horde of Beedrill," he said.

With that, Samurai continued to walk off and soon disappeared from view.

Misty sank to her knees and let out a sigh of relief. "Whew! What a weird kid! Why would he be looking for a trainer from Pallet Town?" she wondered.

Realization hit Misty instantly, and she let out a gasp. "Wait! Ash and Serena are from Pallet Town!"

* * *

Serena had decided she should get back to focusing on the Weedle before it really did get away. "Go, Charla!" she called as she threw the pokeball.

"Char! Char!" Charla said once it was released.

"Ok, Charla. I know we can do this! Let's catch that Weedle!" Serena encouraged, receiving a nod from Charla.

"Let's start by lowering its defenses! Use your Leer attack!" Serena said.

Charla made an intimidating look at Weedle as its eyes glowed blue for a second. Weedle recoiled a little bit in response.

"Great job, Charla! Use your Scratch attack on the Weedle!" Serena called.

Charla nodded and ran up to the Weedle to prepare to use the attack, but Weedle suddenly leaped into the air right at Charla. It was trying to pierce Chara with the stinger on its head.

"Watch out, Charla! Dodge it quick!" Serena warned.

Charla jumped at of the way just in time as Weedle soared past it. It then turned back around to face the Weedle again. Weedle, however, was prepared also as it turned back around to face Charla as well. It then began to shoot several glowing needles from its horn. Once again Charla jumped out of the way of the attack, but it was a much closer call.

"You need to watch out for that stinger, Serena!" Ash called. "Don't let Charla get too close to it and attack from a distance!"

"Got it!" Serena acknowledged, nodding her head. "Try an Ember attack, Charla!"

Just then, Weedle launched itself at Charla again. Charla then began to shoot several small embers from its mouth. The momentum from Weedle caused it to be unable to get out of the way, and the attack collided with it. Weedle was sent plummeting back to the ground in pain.

"Way to go!" Ash cheered. "You should be good to catch it now!"

"Pikachu Pi!" Pikachu cheered.

"Alright!" Serena said. She then pulled out a spare pokeball and was just about to throw it when she and Ash heard a voice behind them.

"Hello. Would you two by chance be trainers from Pallet Town?" the voice asked.

"Yeah. That's us," Serena answered without turning around. "I'm about to catch a Weedle. Could you please hold on a second?" Had she and Ash looked, they would have noticed the glint in the stranger's eyes.

"At last! My search is over! Hiiiiiyaaaah!" the stranger cried and leaped into the air. He startled Ash and Serena so much that their attention was diverted away from the Weedle and to him. He then pointed his sword right at Serena's face. It was the boy from earlier that had encountered Misty.

"Wh-Who are you?" Serena asked fearfully while shivering from head to toe. Charla then got beside Serena and took a defensive stance, ready to protect its trainer if necessary.

"I am…Umph!" Samurai started, but didn't finish as he was tackled to the ground by Ash.

"Who do you think are pointing that sword at Serena?!" Ash shouted at the boy. "Don't you even think about hurting her!"

"Relax! I will do her no harm!" Samaria yelled back, trying to get Ash off of him.

"Then why are you threatening us with your sword!?" Ash asked while maintaining his glare on the boy.

"I'm not threatening you! It's just to make a good entrance!" Samurai tried to explain, still struggling to get Ash off of him, but to no avail.

Serena, Charla, and Pikachu continued to watch the scene with interest. Serena felt a rush of affection to Ash that he was protecting her. However, maybe this strange boy was telling the truth, after all.

"I'm not a thief or anything like that!" Samurai yelled again.

That's when Misty got to the scene and saw Ash had the boy pinned to the ground. "Ash, I think you can get off of him. I encountered this boy also. I don't think he really wants to hurt us," Misty said on the boy's behalf.

Ash glared at the Samurai one last time before he finally got off of him. "Alright. So who are then, and why are you looking for Serena and me?" he asked.

Samurai got off the ground and dusted himself off before regaining his composure. "I am Samurai! I'm a fearless warrior! I'm on a quest seeking out the trainers from Pallet Town!" he spoke in an authoritative voice.

The group wanted to let out a laugh at how serious the boy was trying to sound after losing some of his pride just now, but they held it back.

"So why are you searching for us?" Ash asked again.

"I seek a Pokemon battle with both of you!" Samurai stated as he held out a pokeball.

"Oh, no! I forgot about the Weedle!" Serena cried as she spun around to where the Weedle once was. It was nowhere to be found.

"Oooohhhhh. It got away. I was just about to make my first capture, too," Serena groaned.

"It's not your fault, Serena," Ash said trying to comfort her. "You would have caught it for sure if this boy hadn't shown up and distracted us."

"Do not blame her failure on me. Only novices do that!" Samurai said giving Ash a glare.

Ash and Serena glared back. That was some nerve this boy had. He knew darn well that it was his fault for distracting them like that.

"So which of you shall battle me first?" Samurai asked.

"I will," Serena answered. She wanted to pay this boy back for that Weedle getting away.

She then turned to Charla. "Are you still up to battle, Charla?" Serena asked.

"Charmander!" it said as it ran in front of Serena and got into a battle stance.

"Humph! A fire-type! That doesn't scare me! I choose Pinsir!" Samurai yelled as he threw the pokeballl forward. It then opened to reveal a large, brown, stag beetle looking Pokemon. It stood on two legs and had a large set of pincers on its forehead. Needless to say, it looked pretty intimidating.

"A Pinsir?" Serena questioned as she took out her pokedex to scan it.

"Be careful of those claws! They look really dangerous!" Ash warned Serena.

"It's okay! Charla can handle it!" Serena said reassuringly.

"You can make the first move," Samurai said to Serena.

"Okay then! Charla! Use Ember!" Serena commanded.

Charla then let loose its embers at a fast pace. Pinsir was to slow to dodge it, and the move was a direct hit.

"Pinsir may be weak against fire, but it will take a lot more than that to beat it!" Samurai stated. He then called out, "Pinsir! Tackle it!"

Pinsir then took position and charge straight at Charla.

"Charla, try to jump over Pinsir and use you Ember attack in midair!" Serena called.

Charla obeyed and leaped over Pinsir before it could hit Charla, but unfortunately, it put Charla right in the way of Pinsir's claws.

"That's exactly what I wanted you to do! Grab it with your claws, Pinsir!" Samurai called.

Pinsir then turned around and grabbed Charla in its claws and began to squeeze it.

"Oh, no! Charla!" Serena said worriedly. That seemed so cruel to have Pinsir squeeze Charla like that in its claws.

"Hey, you jerk! That's not fair!" Ash yelled while giving a glare to Samurai.

"Admit defeat, and I shall release your Pokemon!" Samurai answered.

Serena couldn't bear to watch Charla in pain any longer. She closed her eyes and was about to surrender, but Misty's voice stopped her.

"Wait, Serena! Look at Charla's tail!" she said, pointing at Charla.

Serena opened her eyes, and indeed, Charla's tail flame was getting larger and larger. "What's going on?" Serena asked.

"It must be Charla's special ability, Blaze!" Ash replied. "That triples Charla's power when it sustains a lot of damage!"

"Oh, that's right! We can use that to our advantage, Charla!" Serena said to it. "Try your Ember attack!"

Charla then took a deep breath through the pain and blew, but instead of tiny embers like before, these were large fireballs that shot from its mouth. They scorched the claws on Pinsir's head, causing it to cry out from the pain and release Charla.

"Great, Charla! Now use your Scratch attack!" Serena commanded.

Charla then began to viciously scratch away at Pinsir. It was moving its arms so fast that Pinsir was unable to retaliate.

"Pinsir! Keep it together!" Samurai cried, but it was no use. Pinsir soon fell over in defeat.

"Way to go! You did it, Charla!" Serena praised as she ran over to Charla and twirled it around.

"Charmander!" it said happily as its flame returned to normal.

"I can't believe I forgot about Charmander's special ability. I should have finished it off quickly," Samurai berated himself as he returned Pinsir.

Ash couldn't help but let out a smirk. "Heh, its funny you should call us the novices when it's you who just lost," he said.

"Grrrr! Don't underestimate me! Remember! I still have another Pokemon, and you still must defeat me!" Samurai said while glaring at Ash.

"I accept!" Ash said as he stepped forward.

"Come on, Ash! You can do it!" Serena cheered.

"I'm prepared for any Pokemon you send out!" Ash said to Samurai.

"Very well! Try this!" Samurai yelled as he threw the pokeball forward. The pokeball landed on the ground and released the Pokemon.

Ash had said he was prepared to face any Pokemon, but that didn't mean was EXPECTING any Pokemon. The Pokemon that Samurai had sent out was a Metapod. He and the rest of the group looked at Samurai in confusion at his choice.

"Um, a Metapod?" Ash questioned.

"Yes! And freshly caught, too! It's been itching to battle!" Samurai answered.

"Wait. You caught it as a Metapod and not a Caterpie?" Ash asked Samurai.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Samurai said, giving Ash another glare.

Ash, Serena, and Misty sweatdropped. This kid wasn't nearly as intimidating as he made himself out to be. Every trainer should know that a Metapod caught in the wild would only know Harden. One had to raise it from a Caterpie like Ash did for it to have Tackle and String Shot also.

"I will harden my Metapod to the point where you cannot inflict any damage upon it! What do you say to that?!" Samurai laughed.

Ash seriously doubted that would be the case. He almost felt insulted that this kid thought he could beat him with a newly caught Metapod. Ash knew he could easily win this battle with Pikachu or Pidgeotto, but decided he would show Samurai up even more by using his own Metapod. Plus, the more battles his Metapod did, the faster it could achieve its dream of being a Butterfree.

"Metapod! I choose you!" Ash shouted as he threw Metapod's pokeball forward and released it.

"Oh great. Metapod vs. Metapod. How exciting," Misty said sarcastically.

"Your Metapod won't be able to do anything once I harden it. Go ahead and use Harden, Metapod!" Samurai called out.

Samurai's Metapod then glowed for a bit, and then stopped. It definitely did look a lot harder than it did previously.

Ash figured he could win this match quickly, but decided to entertain Samurai for a little bit. "Use your Harden as well, Metapod!" Ash said to it. Metapod did likewise what Samurai's Metapod did and was soon as tough as the other one.

"Maximum hardness, Metapod!" Samurai called. Samurai's Metapod glowed again and again until it couldn't get any harder.

Serena thought this was rather humorous, but Misty was getting annoyed. "Come on, Ash! We don't have all day!" Misty yelled.

"Alright. Fine," Ash replied before turning back to the battle "Metapod! Use String Shot and make it to wear his Metapod can't move!" Ash said.

"What?!" Samurai cried.

"Ash's Metapod then unleashed it's String Shot attack at Samurai's until it was completely covered.

"Now that Samurai's Metapod isn't going anywhere, use Tackle, Metapod!" Ash commanded.

Ash's Metapod then hopped forward as fast as it could before colliding with Samurai's Metapod. It was flung into the air from the impact and into a tree, where it fell to the ground.

"Metapod!" Samurai called out.

"It's hopeless, Samurai. Your Metapod only knows Harden since you caught it as one. Mine knows Tackle and String Shot as well since I raised it from a Caterpie," Ash told him.

"Grrr! Fine! You win! Return, Metapod!" Samurai called as he returned it.

"Way to go, Ash!" Serena said happily as she ran forward to him.

"Thanks, Serena!" Ash replied returning his own Metapod, but then lowered his voice to where only she could hear, "Even though it was hardly a battle," causing her to chuckle.

Ash then congratulated his own Metapod inside the pokeball for a job well done. "You're one step closer to being a Butterfree," he told it.

Samurai then bowed his head and sighed. "Alas. I have been defeated yet again by the trainers from Pallet Town. I must get stronger."

That got Ash and Serena's attention. "Wait! Again?" Ash asked. "So you must have already seen Gary and Leaf pass through here!"

"Ah, yes. That was their names," Samurai confirmed. "They were indeed strong Pokemon trainers. I was no match for them."

"It's nice to hear that they are doing well so far," Serena said.

"Yeah. Come to think of it, we haven't spoken to either of them since we left Pallet Town," Ash said looking thoughtful.

"Are they friends of yours?" Misty spoke up.

"Yeah. They started their journeys at the same time Serena and I did. We've all known each other a really long time," Ash answered. He then added, "We should give them a call the next time we are at a Pokemon Center. We have their number, after all."

"Heehee. I agree about Leaf, but do we really have to call Gary? I mean, all he will probably do is brag about himself," Serena giggled.

Ash laughed in return. "Yeah. I can see it now." He then made an impression of Gary's voice. "Hey Ashy-boy! I've already caught all the Pokemon in existence and got a thousand badges! I'm the best there ever was!"

He, Serena and their Pokemon laughed while Samurai and Misty stood quietly watching, not getting the joke at all.

They were then interrupted by the sound of buzzing. The group looked around until they saw a horde of Beedrill over the trees flying straight at them. To top it off, the Beedrill looked pretty angry.

"Umm, I think we should run," Ash said rhetorically, receiving a nod from everyone else. They then turned around and ran as fast as they could away from the group.

The group running didn't deter the Beedrill in the slightest as they continued their relentless pursuit.

"I don't get it! Why is this swarm of Beedrill chasing us?! Serena wondered aloud.

"The Weedle you battled earlier must have informed the rest of its kind once it got away!" Samurai answered.

"Why do we always have to have something chase us?!" Ash asked Serena as he recalled their first day when it was the flock of Spearow that chased them.

"I don't know, but I'm getting tired of it!" Serena replied in between breaths as she continued running. Just then, she tripped and fell on the ground.

"Aah!" she cried as she fell

"Serena!" Ash cried as he turned around to help her back up while Misty, Pikachu, and Samurai turned to look in concern. Unfortunately, the Beedrill had caught up to them and began to make a nosedive.

"Hold on!" Ash yelled as he and Serena held on to each other tight to brace themselves, but it never came.

"Pikachuuuuuuu!"

Once again, Pikachu had saved the day with its Thundershock. It was enough to keep the Beedrill at bay long enough for Ash and Serena to resume running. One Beedrill was a little bolder than the others and managed to graze Ash on the lower arm before it was stopped by the Thundershock. Ash grit his teeth at the pain as he held his arm.

"You're bleeding, Ash!" Serena cried.

"I'll be fine," he replied, but still grimaced while he said it.

"We are almost at my cabin! We can seek shelter and treat your wound there!" Samurai yelled. Sure enough, the group soon saw a small wooden cabin in the distance. They began to push even harder to get there faster.

Samurai reached the cabin first and opened the door and allowed everyone to pass through before he went in himself. Once he was in, he bolted the door.

The group breathed a huge sigh of relief once everyone had made it in safely, but it was short-lived. They quickly let out a gasp again as they saw several of the Beedrill's stingers pierce the door in an attempt to get in. The group knew that if the Beedrill were able to get in, there would be nowhere to run. After a few tense moments and a few more stingers piercing the door, the Beedrill seemed to give up on their pursuit and flew off.

"Th-that was way too close!" Misty said while panting, the rest of the group agreeing.

After a minute Samurai tentatively began to walk towards the door and peaked outside through one of the holes. "The coast seems to be clear, but I'll go outside and double check to be safe," he said.

"I'll go with you. My water Pokemon could help fend some off if there are any left," Misty said as she went outside with Samurai. "We'll be back in a bit." With that, she closed the door leaving Ash, Serena, and Pikachu by themselves.

Ash sat down on a nearby chair and continued to clench his arm in pain. The sting hurt, but didn't look deep enough for any of Beedrill's poison to have gotten inside him.

Pikachu then jumped up into Ash's lap and began to lick his wound tenderly. It hoped its trainer wasn't in too much pain.

"Thanks, buddy," Ash said. He then began to rub Pikachu behind the ears.

"I think I should have some disinfectant in my first-aid kit for that Beedrill sting. Luckily, it doesn't appear that deep," Serena said as she opened her backpack and pulled it out.

Ash took this time to look around at the cabin. It was fairly small and only one room. It was probably only slightly larger than his living room at home. It consisted of a bed, a table with two chairs, one of which Ash was sitting on, a cupboard, a large jug of water on a shelf, and a small stove for cooking.

Serena then approached Ash with her first-aid kit and a wet washcloth from Samurai's cupboard and knelt down to see his arm better.

"I'll have you fixed up no time, Ash," Serena said as she began to wipe his wound with the damp cloth.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash said. He couldn't help but wince a little while Serena was cleaning him up. Beedrill stings really hurt.

"It's kind of funny, isn't it?" Serena asked once she finished wiping the wound. "Doesn't this remind you of when we first met and I hurt my leg? Only now, it's the other way around. I'm the one helping you, instead."

"Yeah. It does," Ash replied

Serena then got the disinfectant from the first-aid kit. "Hold still," she said as she sprayed the wound. Ash grit his teeth from the pain but didn't yelp.

Serena then gave a light giggle. "Heehee. I know what will help you. A good luck charm!" She then waved her hands over the wound. "Pain, pain, go away," she said.

"Come on, Serena. Now you are just making fun of me," Ash laughed a little in return.

"I am not!" Serena said with a slight pout, but then giggled again. "I thought that was really sweet of you back then." She then took the bandages and began to wrap them around Ash's arm.

"Heheheh. Well, I was just doing what anyone would have done," Ash replied a little embarrassedly.

"I don't think so. Not anyone would have done what you did. You really went the extra mile for me, and it really meant a lot to me since I was the new kid," Serena said genuinely.

"Serena…." Ash trailed. He sometimes wasn't sure how Serena felt about him. Sometimes, she would treat him like a best friend, while other times like now, she would act a little differently. She would complement him on what a nice guy he was, how handsome he would look if he ever dressed up like he did at the Battle Chateau, or just got really nervous around him. It was almost like she….

"There! You are as good as new!" Serena said as she finished wrapping the bandages.

This snapped Ash out his thoughts. "Thanks, Serena. You did a really good job," Ash told her as he looked over his arm.

"You can always count on me, Ash!" Serena reassured with smile and gave him a wink.

Ash smiled in return. "You're right. You've never let me down before! We make a great team, don't we? You, me, Pikachu, Charla, and now we've got Pidgeotto and Metapod."

Serena felt herself blush and turned away. "Anyway, Ash. I'm really glad that we are doing this journey together. You don't understand how happy I was when you agreed."

"Of course! How could I ever say no to you?" Ash replied while giving her a thumbs-up.

Serena smiled and clasped her hands behind her back and shyly looked away. "It's not just that. It's…"

They were interrupted by the door opening and Samurai and Misty walking back in.

The Beedrill seemed to have went away. I believe it is safe to leave the cabin now," Samurai informed them.

Serena turned away from everyone and made a pouting face. They just had to walk in at that very moment! She had such horrible luck sometimes!

"That's great!" Ash said, standing back up. "That means we can go ahead and continue our journey. We've been in this forest a few days now, and I'm about ready to get out.

"Finally," Misty muttered.

Samurai nodded. "In that case, please allow me to escort you to the edge of the forest. I know the way so follow me," he said as he walked out of the cabin.

"Serena, are you coming?" Ash asked as he and the rest stepped outside.

"Oh! Yes! Of course!" Serena answered and replaced her pouting expression with a neutral one as she turned around to follow them.

The group had walked a short distance from the cabin when they heard the sound of buzzing again. They looked around and saw the same horde of Beedrill flying out from the trees around them. The Beedrill then formed a circle around the group. They were trapped. Ash and Serena were highly reminded of the Spearow due to the Beedrill's relentlessness.

"I thought you guys said the coast was clear!" Ash exclaimed.

"It was! They must have hid and waited for all of us to appear!" Samurai said back.

"What do we do now?!" Serena cried.

"The path to my cabin is blocked. I hate to say it but we have to fight the horde!" Samurai answered.

Ash knew they that even if they used all of their Pokemon, they probably didn't stand a chance due to the number of Beedrill, but he knew they had no other option. He gave a sigh, and then got a serious expression and turned to Pikachu. "Are you ready, buddy?" he asked.

"Pikachu!" it answered. It was ready to defend its trainer to the death if necessary.

"Alright, go Pikachu!" he said as he pulled out his other two pokeballs. "Go Pidgeotto and Metapod!"

"Misty calls Staryu!" Misty shouted.

"I choose you, Charla!" Serena called.

"Pinsir! Let's go!" Samurai called. Since his Metapod only knew Harden, it wouldn't have been much help in the battle.

The Pokemon all came out of their pokeballs and stood around their trainers ready to protect them. The Beedrill weren't intimidated in the least and charged.

"Pidgeotto! Use your Gust attack to blow away as many Beedrill as you can. Metapod! Use your String Shot to slow down some of the Beedrill. Pikachu! Use Thundershock on as many as you can!" Ash ordered.

"Use Water Gun on any Beedrill that come our way, Staryu!" Misty yelled.

"Since bug-types are weak against fire, use Ember on the Beedrill, Charla!" Serena called.

"Use your claws to grab any and fling them if they get close, Pinsir!" Samurai commanded.

All the Pokemon nodded at the orders they were given and immediately began doing them. To their credit, the group's Pokemon were putting up a great fight. The only problem was every time they would defeat one, another Beedrill took its place. The trainers knew their Pokemon couldn't keep this up forever.

Pidgeotto was able to blow away many Beedrill, but one was always able to find its way around the current forcing Pidgeotto to focus its Gust on that one, and the process kept repeating so it was very busy.

Charla had learned to fire off its Ember like bullets now which was clearly useful, but it could still only attack one Beedrill at a time. The same went with Pikachu, Staryu, and Pinsir.

Ash was standing closest to his Metapod right now. It was firing away its String Shot as fast as it could, but it was clearly beginning to tire. Its cocoon state could only allow it to do so much battle.

"Metapod! Don't push yourself!" Ash said to it as he saw it beginning to tire. No sooner had he said this that Metapod quit launching its String Shot and began shivering from fatigue.

"I'm sorry, Metapod. I shouldn't have asked so much from you! I'll get you back into the pokeball where it's safe," Ash said as he pulled out his pokeball to return Metapod.

"Ash, look out!" he heard Serena cry.

Ash turned around and saw a Beedrill heading straight for him with its stingers extended. It was getting ready for a Twinneedle attack. It must have found a way through the barrier of attacks when Metapod tired out. Ash was so surprised he dropped Metapod's pokeball where it rolled a short distance away.

"Pikapi! Pidgot!" Ash's remaining Pokemon cried out as they stopped what they were doing to help their trainer. They weren't going to make it in time,though.

Ash threw himself around Metapod and closed his eyes. If he wasn't going to be safe, he would make sure Metapod was even if he took a thousand stings from a Beedrill. Ash had to accept it. Pikachu's Thundershock wouldn't save him this time.

But there was Metapod.

Ash heard stirring in front of him and opened his eyes just in time to see Metapod harden and leap past him right into the stingers of the Beedrill. It then fell into Ash's arms. The tips of the stingers on the Beedrill broke off, and it flew away.

"No! Metapod! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! Ash asked frantically once he saw the deep hole that had been cut into Metapod due to Beedrill's stinger.

To his great surprise, though, there was a massive white glow from inside Metapod causing all the Beedrill to be disoriented and back off for a bit. Wings emerged from inside Metapod, soon followed by the rest of the body. The creature was butterfly-like and was purple in color with light blue hands and feet and large red eyes. It had large white wings with fine scales covering them. Ash's Metapod had evolved into Butterfree!

"Free! Freeeeee!" Butterfree cried in happiness as it stretched its wings and flew into the air next to Ash. Everybody else looked on in amazement.

"Woooow, Butterfree," Ash said in wonder as he pulled out his Pokedex to scan it.

"Butterfree, the evolved form of Metapod. Its wings are covered with poisonous powders and can repel water," the pokedex said.

"Congratulations, Butterfree!" Ash said happily as Butterfee continued to fly around in sheer delight. It finally achieved its dream of becoming a Butterfree.

The happy moment was short-lived, however, as the Beedrill had regained their senses and were now flying towards the group again.

Ash then got a serious expression on his face. He knew how to deal with these Beedrill. "Everyone! Continue to fend off the Beedrill! Butterfree! Fly around and use Sleep Powder on all of the Beedrill!" Ash commanded.

Everyone nodded at the plan and continued battling the Beedrill. Butterfree flew high into the sky above the battle and began to sprinkle orange powder from its wings which descended upon the Beedrill. One by one, the Beedrill continued dropping to the ground until all of them were asleep.

"Way to go, Butterfree! You were amazing!" Ash exclaimed as he ran forward to give Butterfree a hug.

He then turned to the rest of the Pokemon. "You all were," he acknowledged.

"Butterfree is so beautiful," Serena said as she came over to Ash.

"Yeah, for a bug, Butterfree isn't bad at all," Misty complimented as she joined them.

"Hey, Pikachu! Charla! Pidgeotto! Come meet Butterfree!" Ash called.

Pikachu and Charla came over and nodded at Butterfree in praise. They were really excited that their friend was able to achieve its dream. Pidgeotto came over also and nodded its head in approval. It was happy to have another flying type on the team that it could fly around with.

Butterfree itself was very pleased. It had just proven to itself that if one follows their dreams, they can certainly achieve them by never giving up. "Freeeee! Freeeee!" it cried again happily.

Serena watched Ash and his Pokemon with a smile on her face. _"Ash really cares about his Pokemon and can really form a bond with them. He really is amazing_" she thought. She then looked over at Charla. _"I hope one day I'm able to reach that level with my Pokemon_."

* * *

"Here is the exit from the forest, my friends. You should reach Pewter City in just a couple of days," Samurai informed them.

"Thank you for your help," Serena said gratefully.

"You're welcome," Samurai replied. "I am going to stay here and continue to train hard. Hopefully one day, we shall battle again." He then added to say to Ash specifically, "Just make sure not to tackle me to the ground next time."

"Hahahaha! Yeah. Sorry about that," Ash said. He had to admit, their first impression of Samurai wasn't very pleasant, but he had turned out to be a nice guy and had gained a friend in him.

Samurai then shook hands with everyone.

"So long, Samurai," Ash said as he and the rest of the group waved goodbye.

"Farewell! Good luck on the rest of your quest!" Samurai called after them as he waved goodbye as well.

* * *

The group had been walking for a few hours now. Evening was approaching and if what Samurai said was true they should arrive in Pewter City the day after tomorrow. Everyone and their Pokemon were in the middle of a field eating their supper (consisting of sandwiches again). They couldn't wait to get to Pewter City to get some real food again. While they were eating, they heard some rustling in the tall grass next to them.

"Hey, do you guys here that?" Serena asked the group as she turned in the direction of the noise.

"Yeah, I do. Do you think it's a Pokemon?" Misty wondered.

The group continued to wait and watch until the source of the noise revealed itself. It was Nidoran, but this time it was female one. It was similar in appearance to the male but was a light blue color and its horn wasn't as long.

"Oh a female Nidoran!" Serena exclaimed with delight as she took out her pokedex to scan it.

"Nidoran, the poison pin Pokemon. This Pokemon's horn is not as long as the male's, but still just as poisonous," the pokedex said.

"Oh! It's so cute! Hi there, Nidoran!" Serena said.

Nidoran shrank back a little, very weary of Serena despite her friendly greeting.

Seeing how it was nervous, Serena pulled some Pokemon food out of her backpack. "I know what you might like. How about some Pokemon food?" she asked as she held it out to the Nidoran.

The Nidoran took a quick sniff. "Nyaah!" it said happily as it walked over and began to eat the food from Serena's hand.

"You're friendly, aren't you? Is it good?" Serena asked. The Nidoran nodded in response.

"You two seem to be hitting it off just fine. Why don't you try to catch it, Serena?" Ash requested.

"Hey! That's right! Would you like to come along with me, Nidoran?" Serena asked as she looked at Nidoran.

Nidoran stared back at Serena a moment, contemplating her request. It then nodded. After it nodded, it jumped back and got in a battle stance.

"I think that's a yes, but it wants you to battle it first," Ash said.

"Alright! Sounds good!" Serena said. She then looked at her Charla. "What do say, Charla? Let's capture it!"

"Char! Char!" it agreed and jumped in front of Serena. Likewise with Nidoran, it also got into a battle stance.

Both Pokemon stared intently at each other, neither one making a move. Until finally, the Nidoran charged forward for a Horn Attack.

"Dodge it, Charla!" Serena called. Charla then jumped out of the way, but the Nidoran wasn't going to let it get away that easily.

Nidoran turned as soon as Charla did, and once again, it charged at Charla to impale it with its small, but lethal horn.

"_Running to dodge isn't going to work,"_ Serena thought to herself. _"What can I do?"_ It then hit her. "Charla! Let Nidoran get as close as it can! Wait for my word!"

"Char!" Charla said and stood its ground. Nidoran got closer and closer. Just before it connected, Serena made her move.

"Charla! Jump over Nidoran, and get behind it!" Serena shouted.

Charla obeyed and jumped over Nidoran. Nidoran, however, was running so fast that its momentum didn't allow it to turn and it had to screech to a halt.

"Charla! Use Ember" Serena said.

Charla obeyed and shot the embers from its mouth at lightning speed. Due to the speed of the embers, Nidoran was unable to dodge it and was hit by every one of them.

"While its distracted, use Scratch attack, Charla!" called Serena.

Charla obeyed and ran forward. Nidoran attempted to retaliate by shooting a Poison Sting from its horn, but Charla leaped over the attack and landed right in front of the Nidoran and began to scratch at it with its claws.

"Alright! Pokeball, go!" Serena cried as she threw it.

The pokeball connected with Nidoran and sucked it inside. The ball landed on the ground and began to shake back and forth.

Everyone waited in anticipation, the ball was continuing to shake. Serena wished it would hurry up and stop. The tension was killing her. Finally, the ball quit shaking and "dinged" to signify Nidoran had been caught.

Serena stood there staring at the pokeball for a moment. She had done it. She had finally captured her first Pokemon. Her face broke out into a wide grin as she ran over to pick up the pokeball. "We did it, Charla! We captured our first new friend!" she exclaimed as she held her pokeball high into the air.

"Charmander!" Charla said happily as it ran over to Serena. Serena knelt down and clasped hands with Charla.

"You did great, Charla!" she praised.

"Way to go, Serena!" Ash cheered. "I knew you were going to get your first Pokemon soon! I'm proud of you!"

"Thanks, Ash!" Serena said as she turned red. Only Ash could make her blush as much as she did.

Now that Ash and Serena had both captured their first Pokemon, they were in good shape. Pewter City, the sight where Ash's first gym battle was located, was just a couple of days away. They were going to train extra hard. Ash wasn't going to be caught off guard this time like at the Battle Chateau for his gym battle. Likewise, Serena was going to train for her next time at the Battle Chateau in Cerulean City. They were going to win this time!

**This chapter should be the last of the mostly boring battles. I worked really hard on the Pewter City gym battle and thought it turned out really well. So please let me know what you think of it once we get there. There is also a surprise next chapter (or maybe it isn't one at all). Stay tuned as Ash and Serena's journey is really going to heat up from now on. Once again, thanks so much for the support of this story. Hopefully, you guys are enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it! The next chapter will be up next Tuesday! See you then!  
**

**Chapter 9: Fossil Pokemon and Technical Machines**

**Answering the questions:**

_Are you planning to incorporate the banned original season episodes here as well?_

**_The only banned episode I plan to include so far is the Safari Zone episode with Dratini. The others don't seem to hold enough significance for me put them in my story._**

_How soon will Ash meet his other rivals aside from Gary and Leaf (I forgot if Leaf was a rival too)?_

**_I do not wish to reveal this information. I prefer to surprise my readers with things like this. Just hold on a little longer. As for Gary and Leaf (no Leaf isn't technically a rival as she isn't competing in the Pokemon League), Leaf will appear again in Cerulean City. Gary won't appear again until Celedon City and then start appearing more often after that. He's a ways off._**

_If you don't include Brock in Sinnoh can he catch Croagunk early? I found it to be Brock's greatest pokemon._

**_This goes back to whether I decide to introduce a lot of Pokemon earlier than what their region dictates. I'm a fan of Croagunk, too! Hopefully, I will be able to do this for Brock._**

_Are Ash or Serena going to have either Aura or psychic powers?_

**_Aura will not appear until the last story which ties everything together. I will still include it when Ash uses it in canon, though up until that point. As for Serena having aura powers, that's a secret. As for the last one, neither of them will have psychic powers.  
_**

_I wonder if Ash will get a Raichu?_

**_Ash will NEVER have a Raichu in any way, shape, or form, in this story. _**

_I hope Pikachu has a mate and wonder what it will be._

**_Pikachu deserves some love in its life as well. It will have a few Pokemon interested in it(aside from Buneary that is) and it might have its mate by the end of the series as well._**

_Also, I am curious if you could use honorifics in their names. It wold be sweet if Ash called Serena Serena-chan._

**_I'm terrible with Japanese honorifics. Despite the fact that they are cute, they will not appear in this story. I would be putting them in the wrong places all the time lol._**

_I also hope he (and/or Serena) catch Clefairy. Seymour the space cadet was annoying._

**_(Minor Spoiler) Truthfully, I wrote out Seymour in the Mt. Moon chapter so he won't be appearing. That being said, there is technically nothing stopping them from getting a Clefairy. One of them might catch one, but then again, they might not._**


	9. Fossil Pokemon and Technical Machines

**A/N: Hey everyone. A lot of you have pointed out that this is very similar to the anime. While that is true as far as events that occur, I'm trying hard to add or change a lot of dialogue that was in the show as well as adding different scenes to make it more original. If my story is too similar to the anime right now, I apologize but fear not. It will start turning out pretty different after (spoiler) Ash gets Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle so bear with me until then. Also, a rival is briefly introduced in this chapter (surprise!). Who is it? Read and find out.**

**Edit: And sorry about the Nidoran female and Horn Attack. That was my bad. It won't happen again.**

**Massive disclaimer: I do not own anything at all about Pokemon. I do not own Ash, Serena, Misty, Brock, Brock's siblings, Flint, Brock's mom, Tracey, Team Rocket, Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, Pikachu, Harley, Drew, May, Max, Dawn, Gary, Leaf, Nando, Angie, Cassidy, Biff...err Butch, Zoey, Johanna, Caroline, Norman, Iris, Cilan, Paul, Ritchie, Professor Oak, Delia, Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare, any gym leaders, any elite four members, all 719 (I think) Pokemon and anyone else I missed.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Fossil Pokemon and Technical Machines

It had been a busy past couple of days for the group. Ash and Serena were hard at training each of their Pokemon with Misty occasionally throwing in small bits of advice. Ash had trained his Pikachu on its accuracy for hitting moving targets in the air, which he used Pidgeotto and Butterfree for. Ash learned Pidgeotto was trying to learn the move Aerial Ace while they were training, but it had problems with the execution, so Ash decided to help work with it in that area. Pidgeotto was still a little wobbly in the attack, but its accuracy had gotten much better. Pikachu had even learned the moves Slam and Agility, and Butterfree learned Confusion and Psychic during their training. Ash knew Butterfree's psychic attacks would be useful in the gym battle to come.

Serena had been training her Nidoran and Charmander as well by having them battle each other. Serena had learned that since her Nidoran's horn wasn't very large, it fought best using its teeth and claws which Serena decided to use to her advantage. Charla had also learned a couple of new moves during their training, Smokescreen and Metal Claw. Both were bound to be useful in her future matches.

It was nighttime now and the group was worn out. They were really thankful that they could see lights in the distance and knew it to be Pewter City.

"Phew! It took a while to get here, but we finally made it," Ash said once the city came into view. They were on a large hill with the city below them.

"Finally! I can sleep in a nice, warm bed again," Misty sighed with relief.

"Not to mention some good food!" Ash added.

"Is food always on your mind, Ash Ketchum?" Misty asked with somewhat of an annoyed tone.

"Hey! Don't blame me! If I continued with just plain sandwiches for much longer, my stomach would never speak to me again," Ash defended.

"Anyway, before we head into the city, can we rest on these rocks real quick? My feet are killing me," Serena asked. She was actually trying to play peacemaker for once and wanted Ash and Misty to avoid an impending argument.

Ash looked the rocks over. They looked quite smooth and it's not like they belonged to anybody, so a quick rest wouldn't hurt. "Alright," he said as he sat down on one, Misty and Serena following suit. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's lap to take a quick snooze.

"So Ash, are you ready for your gym battle?" Serena asked once the group got relaxed on the rocks.

"You bet! I'm definitely going to win! I've been training really hard this time," Ash said with a determined expression as he made a fist.

"I heard this trainer uses rock-type Pokemon and his name is Brock," Misty added. "With only Pikachu, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree, you don't really have any Pokemon that have an advantage over them," Misty said.

"Yeah. I know. Unlike last time, though, I've trained each of my Pokemon hard. I believe in their strength," Ash said again.

"You know, Ash? If you ask me really nicely, I may let you borrow a few of my water Pokemon for the match to give you an advantage," Misty said in a sweet as honey voice.

"No thanks," Ash said immediately, rejecting the offer. Seeing Misty get an angry expression, he added, "It's not that I don't appreciate you offering, but this is my battle. I wouldn't feel right to use someone else's Pokemon other than the ones I trained. That would make me feel like it wasn't really my victory. Not to mention, it would totally undermine the training I gave my own Pokemon who worked hard for me."

"I guess you're right," Misty sighed.

"So you want to challenge the Gym Leader of this city?" a new voice suddenly spoke up, startling the group.

They looked around until they saw a man sitting Indian-style a short distance below them on the hill, looking away from them. Had he been there this whole time? He had such a low voice that it was hard to hear him. It soon came as no surprise that he could probably blend in with the rest of the surroundings.

"Uh, yeah. That's right," Ash said in an unsure tone. "Do you know anything about him?"

"I do. His name is Brock, and he's really strong. I don't think you stand a chance against him," the man said.

"How do you know?" Ash said, getting an angry expression.

"Just trust me. My name is Flint, by the way. I run a rock selling service," the man introduced.

"A rock selling service?" Serena asked. She and everyone else thought that was a rather bizarre career.

"Yes. A man needs to make a living somehow. I sell all of these large rocks you see around you. Pewter City is known to have some of the best quality rocks around," the man answered.

"Uh, right," Ash said while sweatdropping. "Anyway, I don't care what you say about Brock! I came here to get the Boulder Badge, and that's what I'm going to do!"

"Humph. Well if you really believe you can beat him, I suppose I could show the way," said Flint as he stood up.

"Uh, okay. Thanks," Ash said as he picked up Pikachu and stood up. He still didn't fully trust this man.

"By the way, that will be a charge of five dollars each for resting on my rocks," Flint said.

The group let out a large groan.

* * *

"Well, here is the Pewter Gym," Flint stated as they stood in front of the gym.

The group stared in awe and took in its appearance. The gym was about two stories high and looked like a giant stone to match its rock-type Pokemon theme. It was currently closed for the day, which surprised the group. They thought gyms didn't usually close until eight o'clock, but it was only seven o'clock in the evening.

As if reading their thoughts, Flint answered, "Brock has to close the gym early every day so he can care for his younger siblings. He has ten of them. It's enough work for him to even keep the gym open at all."

"What about Brock's parents?" Ash asked.

"His good-for-nothing father suddenly decided to leave on a Pokemon journey and left his family behind. His mother tried her best to keep the family together, but she soon left as well. Now Brock is the only one who is able to care for everybody, and himself," Flint said sadly.

"That's terrible! It isn't fair to Brock!" Serena said with hint of anger in her voice.

"Brock's always been such a good sport about it, too. He never complains and always has a positive attitude. Deep down, however, you can tell he is really hurting about his parents," Flint continued.

"How do you know all of this?" Ash asked, suddenly curious.

"Uh, well….I…heard stories!" Flint stammered as he rubbed the back of his head.

The group figured that wasn't the full story due to his tone but decided not to press the matter.

"The gym doesn't open until eleven o'clock tomorrow morning. Since you will have to wait until tomorrow for your battle, why don't I show you the way to the Pokemon Center?" Flint offered.

"That will be great! Thank you!" Ash said gratefully.

The group had decided maybe this Flint guy wasn't so bad after all. However, they still couldn't shake the feeling there was more to this guy then meets the eye.

As the group began walking, Ash spoke up, "It seems Brock loves people and Pokemon just as much as the next guy."

"Oh, he does. He takes very good care of his Pokemon. He seems to understand the feelings and thoughts of Pokemon more than many people. I've heard what he really wants to do is travel the world and be the best Pokemon breeder, rather than a gym leader. He can't leave his siblings behind by themselves, though," Flint replied.

"I see," Ash said rather quietly. He was glad he was learning more about the type of trainers he was going to face in battle, but now he almost regretted it due to how sad Brock's story was. It proved that no matter who is out there, they all seem to have a story to tell about their lives.

"You aren't going to get discouraged from facing Brock tomorrow, are you, Ash?" Serena asked once she saw his expression.

"No," Ash answered. "I can't let my knowledge about someone else get in the way of getting my badge tomorrow. Brock's a gym leader. I'm sure he expects, and wants, people try their hardest to win whether they know his story or not."

"My thoughts exactly," Serena agreed and gave Ash a smile. "You're going to do great tomorrow."

Ash returned the smile and went back to his thoughts, but they were soon interrupted by Flint speaking.

"There's the Pokemon Center straight ahead," Flint announced as he pointed to the building.

"Didn't Nurse Joy in Viridian City say her cousin worked here?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. She also said that she had emailed her to let her know we were coming," Misty added.

"Well, let's not be rude and go in!" Ash said. He then turned to Flint, "Thanks for showing us the way Fl…where did he go?"

The group looked around and saw Flint was already some distance away from the group, walking in the other direction. What a strange guy!

The group entered the Pokemon Center and took in its surroundings. It looked pretty similar in design to the one in Viridian City. They spotted the nurse of the center doing some paperwork at the front desk. She had her head down so they couldn't see her face.

The group smiled and walked up to the nurse at her desk. "Hello ma'am. We would like to rent a room for the night," Ash said.

"Certainly," the nurse replied as she looked up.

Ash, Serena, and Misty gasped. "What?! Nurse Joy?! What are you doing here?!" Ash exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. What do you mean?" Nurse Joy asked with an inquisitive look on her face.

"Remember? It's us. Serena, Ash, and Misty. We met in Viridian City at the Pokemon Center there and helped you save the Pokemon," Serena said.

"Oh, you must mean my first cousin!" Nurse Joy said as realization hit her face. "She sent me an email telling me all about you three. Let me give my thanks as well for saving the Pokemon."

"So…you're her first cousin?" Ash asked. "You look exactly like your cousin in Viridian City."

"Hahaha, yeah. We get that a lot," Nurse Joy laughed. "The truth is all the nurses in the Pokemon Center look just alike, and we are all named Joy."

"You're kidding!" Ash said somewhat skeptically.

"I'm afraid I'm not," Nurse Joy said as she pulled a picture out from her desk to show the group. Sure enough, there were at least a dozen nurses who looked identical. Ash, Serena, and Misty were amazed, to say the least.

"So anyway. You three said you needed rooms for the night? How many would you like?" Nurse Joy asked as she put the picture back in the desk.

"Two, please. One for me and Pikachu and one the for Serena and Misty," Ash replied.

"Not a problem. Let me just register you in the computer," Nurse Joy said kindly.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," said Serena.

"By the way, I remember my sister mentioning in her email that you are a Pokemon trainer, Ash. So you must be here to challenge the gym leader, Brock."

"That's right," Ash confirmed. "But a man told us that the gym doesn't open until eleven o'clock in the morning so there won't be much for us to do while we wait."

"I think you should check out the Pewter Museum, in that case," Nurse Joy suggested. "It's one of Pewter City's tourist attractions. Since you three are trainers, I think you will find some of the things there very interesting. There are things there from space exhibits to fossils of prehistoric Pokemon."

"Wow! That sounds really cool!" Serena said.

"Yeah! Prehistoric Pokemon!" Ash agreed and turned to Pikachu. "Want to see some fossil Pokemon, buddy?"

"Piiiiiika!" it agreed.

* * *

It was around nine-thirty the next morning, and the group was now about to walk into the Pewter Museum. They had a good night's sleep at the Pokemon Center as well as the first decent meal they had eaten in a few days. Like Ash promised, he put ketchup on all of Pikachu's Pokemon food, but for some reason, Pikachu seemed content to just lick the ketchup from the bottle by itself. It took some convincing from Ash to get it to eat the Pokemon food as well.

The group had also stopped by the Pokemart on the way to the museum, and Serena let Charla and Nidoran pick out the flavors that they wanted this time.

As the group entered the museum, they were met by the receptionist who charged them each a five dollar admittance fee. The group payed and took in their surroundings. They marveled at the size of it. It didn't look that big on the outside but the inside looked humungous. It had many display cases aligned in rows as well as a few model rockets. There was also a flight of stairs to lead up to the second story. The group assumed the lower level was for space while the upper floor was where the prehistoric Pokemon were.

"Hey, let's go check out those fossil Pokemon," Ash said eagerly as he began to walk at a quick pace to the flight of stairs.

Serena and Pikachu followed Ash, but Misty stayed. "You two go on ahead. I'm going to stay down here for a bit and see the space exhibit," Misty told them.

"Well, alright. We'll see you in a bit," Ash said they went up the stairs.

Once they reached the second floor of the museum, they could see the various skeletons and fossils that aligned the shelf. There were five skeletons in the middle of the room as the group went over to them. One by one they read the descriptions of each of the skeletons.

_Omanyte, the spiral Pokemon. This Pokemon lived in the primordial sea. It swam by moving around its ten tentacles._

_Omastar, the spiral Pokemon and the evolved form of Omanyte. This Pokemon was said to become extinct because its large shell made it hard to catch food._

_Kabuto, the shellfish Pokemon. It is said to have inhabited beaches a long time ago. It was protected by a very stiff shell.  
_

_Kabutops, the shellfish Pokemon and the evolved form of Kabuto. Its sleek shape was perfect for swimming. It caught pray with its scythe-like arms and drained their fluids._

Out of the five skeletons, there was one that caught Ash and Serena's attention the most. It was just skeleton, but had the image of the Pokemon on a picture next to the description. It was gray and had very large wings with razor sharp claws and teeth. The description said that it was called an Aerodactyl, and judging by the skeleton, it was a very large Pokemon as well.

Ash and Serena read the description. "Aerodactyl. This Pokemon is said to be long extinct. Its sharp claws and teeth suggests that it was a carnivore," they read.

"Wow. So this thing was a deadly predator and hunted other Pokemon…and probably people as well," Ash said more to himself than Serena as they continued to look at the skeleton.

"It's really scary," Serena said worriedly as she inched a little closer to Ash.

"Don't worry Serena. This Pokemon is long gone. It's not like we are going to meet a live one face-to-face," Ash said reassuringly once he saw the expression on her face.

"I know that. It's just a scary thought. I wonder what it was that made such a powerful Pokemon like this die out," the honey blonde-haired girl wondered.

"So what are you two looking at?" asked a voice behind them.

Ash and Serena spun around to find Misty standing there.

"Oh, we were just checking out this Aerodactyl skeleton," Ash answered as he pointed to it. "These fossil Pokemon are really interesting."

"In that case, you may be interested to hear what this scientist is saying downstairs. He is talking about the different types of prehistoric Pokemon. Personally, I think he is a little strange, though," Misty told them.

"Alright. Sounds good. Let's go!" Ash said enthusiastically as he went back downstairs with Serena, Misty, and Pikachu following.

Once they were back downstairs, the group saw a small crowd surrounding a man in a white lab coat. He wore big, thick glasses and had really untidy black hair. He was a complete contrast from Professor Oak. Misty was right. This guy did seem a little eccentric.

"As you all know, the Pokemon that you have seen so far in this museum, Omanyte, Omastar, Kabuto, Kabutops, and Aerodactyl have been extinct for a long time," the scientist began as Ash, Serena, Misty, and Pikachu made their way into the crowd. The crowd gave a short nod in response.

"What would all of you say if I told you we scientists are researching a way to bring them back to life?" the scientist asked a little slyly.

This got the crowd's full attention. Some people looked really intrigued while others were looking at the scientist like he was crazy. Ash heard whispering behind them, and he turned around to see three people wearing plain clothes, but underneath the outfits, he could see parts of another uniform which were solid black. Ash thought that was a little strange to be wearing a completely separate uniform underneath another one, unless they were trying to disguise themselves. The three people must have noticed Ash's gaze, because they gave him a glare.

"Hey, kid. Mind your own business," one of the men said to him rather rudely.

Ash quickly turned around and faced the scientist again.

"Really, Ash. You shouldn't be so nosy," Misty scolded, but Ash ignored her. There was something really off about those guys.

"We have been researching different fossils at Mt. Moon recently," the scientist continued. "We were amazed to find that some of them contained Pokemon DNA!"

"Wow! Really?" asked a man in the crowd.

"Yes! Really!" the scientist confirmed eagerly. "On top of that, we have also found a way to extract the Pokemon DNA from those fossils!"

"So what does that have to do with bringing them back to life?" one of the strange men behind Ash asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" the scientist said excitedly. "We have been working hard on a machine for the past several months that can turn this DNA into a living, breathing, Pokemon!"

This drew a large gasp from the audience. Ash, Serena, and Misty, were equally amazed at the scientist's claim. _"Wow! A living Pokemon from prehistoric times in the present world!"_ Ash thought.

The scientist continued, "Of course, we are only in the beta testing mode of it. It is still a ways off from being completed. Hopefully, our scientists over at the Cinnabar Island branch will have it ready within the next eight months."

"Is that safe?" Misty suddenly asked, causing the group and scientist to look a her.

"What do you mean, Miss?" the scientist asked curiously.

"I mean, these Pokemon existed long before. Is it safe to have them in the present time? How do you know that the preshistoric Pokemon will have the necessary things to survive? Furthermore, how do you know some of these Pokemon aren't extremely dangerous?"

This caused the group to turn back to the scientist and look at him expectantly.

"Fear not, Miss. We have studied the various behavior of each of these prehistoric Pokemon very carefully. Even the deadly Aerodactyl can be tamed. I don't see it feasting on any humans," the scientist said with a laugh, which caused a few nervous chuckles from everyone in the crowd. "About their survival, that's what we are here for! We are to make sure they have everything they need! We will make sure not to not have them go extinct a second time!"

This was met by a few more nods and sighs of relief from the audience. Ash heard shuffling behind him and saw the trio of men give a nod to each other and speed off. They definitely seemed to be up to something, but Ash didn't feel right to pry so chose not to pursue them. Plus, there was no proof they were actually doing something wrong.

Deciding to let the matter go, Ash turned to Serena and asked, "Wouldn't it be cool if we were able to train some prehistoric Pokemon, Serena? Mt. Moon would be our next stop after Pewter City. Imagine finding some fossils there."

Serena thought about what it would be like to have one of the prehistoric Pokemon, and most of the thoughts weren't pretty. She would be trying to tame an Aerodactyl only to have it eat her. She would be playing with Omastar only to misjudge its weight because of its small size and be crushed. Also, those sickle-like claws that were on a Kabutops were really scary as well. Serena shook her had of these thoughts and realized she was being a little silly. If she could train a fire breathing lizard and a rabbit with a poisonous horn on its head, she could probably handle these Pokemon as well.

"Uh, hello? Earth to Serena," Ash said while waving a hand in front of her face when he realized she seemed zoned out.

"Um...oh right! Yeah! It would be really great, Ash!" Serena answered with a smile as she snapped out of her thoughts.

By now, the crowd had dispersed, and the scientist had gone to a room in the back labeled "Employees Only. Ash checked the clock on the wall and saw that it was already ten minutes until eleven. Time sure flew. Had they really been in the museum that long?

"Hey guys. Since it's almost eleven, why don't we go grab some lunch before heading off to the gym?" Ash suggested.

"That's fine with me. I think I've already seen everything there is to see here," Misty responded.

"Me, too," Serena agreed.

"Alright! Let's go!" Ash said as they left.

* * *

"Have you thought about which Pokemon you were going to use against Brock yet?" Misty asked.

Currently, the group was at a small café they had found and were sitting at a table eating their meal.

"Yeah," Ash answered. "I'm going to use Butterfree for sure. My next one, I don't really know."

"That's the problem, Ash. Unfortunately, none of your Pokemon have an advantage over the rock-type. While Butterfree knows a couple of psychic attacks and has Sleep Powder, it's also really weak to rock-type attacks, the same with Pidgeotto," Misty told him.

"I know," Ash replied as he took a bite of his food. He then looked at Pikachu who was, of course, licking a bottle of ketchup. Ash wondered if it ever got tired of the stuff. "Hey, Pikachu. Do you feel up to challenging Brock? Both Pidgeotto and Butterfree know a couple of attacks that can hurt rock Pokemon, but I know that you are at a huge disadvantage. I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Pikachu!" it answered. It then flexed it's tiny arms in a "show my muscle" fashion to demonstrate its strength.

The group laughed. "Alright, Pikachu. I believe in you. If at some point you change your mind, just let me know."

"I know you want to win your first gym battle with your own Pokemon, but I'm just trying to help you by offering for you to use my water Pokemon just this once," Misty tried again.

"I really do appreciate your offer to help, Misty, but I need to do this one on my own," Ash replied.

"If you say so," she said.

"So the only Pokemon you have to face Brock with are a Pikachu, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree? It will be almost impossible to win against Brock no matter how much training you put into them," a familiar voice spoke.

The group turned around to see Flint standing behind them. How on Earth did he keep sneaking up on them like this?

"Brock is no pushover. You are definitely going to need to catch Pokemon that have an advantage over the rock-type to beat him," Flint continued.

"There aren't any water or grass-type Pokemon around, though," Ash told him. "I don't have a choice. Plus, my Pokemon said that they are willing to fight no matter what."

Flint sighed. "If you are unable to catch any Pokemon that have an advantage over Brock, you can at least teach them moves that have an advantage. I can help you with that. Follow me," he said as he began walking away.

The group looked at each other, wondering if they should follow Flint. There was no doubt this man was a little strange, but he proved he meant them no harm. They were finished with their lunch anyway so they got up from their chairs and followed him.

After walking for about twenty minutes (Flint never said a word the entire time), he led the group to a small house near the edge of the city.

"You have heard of Technical Machines, or TMs for short, haven't you?" Flint finally asked.

"Yes," Ash answered. "Those are small machines that you can use to teach your Pokemon moves they can't learn naturally, right?"

"That's correct," Flint confirmed. "The moves I can teach your Pokemon are going to be inside my house. Wait here for just a little bit." He then disappeared inside of his house.

The group, particulary Ash, was wondering just what kind of moves Flint had in mind. The types that were strong against the Rock-type Pokemon were the Grass, Water, and Ground-type. Ash knew none of his Pokemon could learn any of those types of moves.

Flint returned a couple of minutes later carrying four small machines in his hands.

"So what kind of moves can you teach my Pokemon?" Ash asked.

"Have you heard of the new types of Pokemon that were discovered?" Flint answered with a question of his own.

"Yeah. The two new types are supposed to be the steel-type and dark-type," Misty said.

"That's right. One of these newly discovered types, the steel-type, is really strong against rock-types like what Brock uses. I have the TMs that can teach Iron Tail and Steel Wing to your Pokemon. If you teach Iron Tail to your Pikachu and Steel Wing to your Pidgeotto, and combine that with your Butterfree's psychic attacks,you might have a chance despite the type disadvantage," Flint told Ash.

"These aren't going to harm my Pokemon in any way, right?" Ash asked. He had never used a TM before so he wanted make sure.

"Of course, Ash," Misty answered instead. "TMs are perfectly safe, and all have been approved by the Pokemon League to use on Pokemon. I've given out plenty of them myself….blaaaaah." Misty had tried to stop herself, but Ash and Serena were too quick to not notice.

"Wait a second, Misty. How would you be able to give out various TMs to people all the time? Those things don't just grow on trees, you know." Serena said suspiciously.

"I used to have a lot, but I simply ran out," Misty replied lamely. "Anyway, TMs are perfectly safe so Ash's Pokemon will be fine." She desperately wanted to change the subject. She was thankful that Ash and Serena took the bait even though they knew she was hiding something from them.

"I see," Ash said as he opened Pidgeotto's pokeball. The bird Pokemon appeared with a cry of "Pidgo!"

Ash then faced his two Pokemon. "Alright, guys. This man Flint is offering to teach you some moves that you can't learn naturally. They will give you an advantage over Brock and be useful in other situations as well. Is it okay to give you the TMs to use?" Ash asked. He would never do something like this without his Pokemon's permission first.

Pidgeotto and Pikachu both nodded their heads.

Ash then turned to Flint. "Alright. I'll accept the TMs. Thank you, Flint," Ash said. Something suddenly occurred to him, though. "Wait, why are you helping me in the first place?"

"Honestly, I don't know myself, but I feel something good will happen if I do this," Flint responded.

"Err…okay, but regardless of your reasons. Thank you," Ash said again.

"You're a Pokemon trainer, too, aren't you?" Flint asked Serena as he turned to her.

"That's right," Serena confirmed, wondering what Flint would want with her.

"I had these TMs as well and figured I could give them to you. They may come in handy later on," Flint said as he handed them to her.

"What moves are they?" Serena asked curiously.

"One contains the move Dig and the other has Ice Beam. Use them however you see fit," Flint told her.

"Okay. I will. Thank you," Serena said still a little unsure.

"How do these things work?" Ash asked Flint as he turned to his Pikachu and Pidgeotto to use the machines.

"Those small clamps on the side are used to place on your Pokemon head and to keep the machine steady so go ahead and do that," Flint told Ash.

"Okay," Ash said as he did so.

"Then go ahead and press that button in the middle and it should activate the machine," Flint said next.

Ash did as he was told and pressed the button. Pretty soon the machine began to shake and Ash was worried that his Pokemon were being hurt by the device, but they were showing no signs at all of discomfort. After about ten seconds, the machines stopped moving.

"Okay. You can take the machines off your Pokemon now. If everything went right, your Pokemon should know those moves now," Flint said.

After Ash removed the devices from Pikachu and Pidgeotto's heads, he asked them, "So, do you guys feel okay?"

Both Pokemon nodded.

"There are old stumps right there on the side of my house for you to try out the moves," Flint said while pointing in that direction.

The group went over to the stumps, and Ash had Pikachu and Pidgeotto stand in front them.

"Alright! Pikachu! Use Iron Tail! Pidgeotto! Use Steel Wing!" Ash ordered.

Both Pokemon nodded and launched their respective attacks. Pikachu ran forward and its tail began to glow white. It then leaped into the air and brought its tail down on the stump, creating lots of debris to fly from the stump. Pidgeotto likewise took into the sky as its right wing began to glow white. It then made dive towards the stump and slammed its wing into the stump, also creating a sizable amount of wood to fly from the stump. Ash looked on and congratulated his Pokemon while nodding his head in approval. There was still a good amount of each stump left after the attack, but it was certainly good for a first try. Ash knew they could only get better at the attack and decided to continue to train them in their respective attacks after the gym battle with Brock.

* * *

It was now around twelve forty-five in the afternoon and the group was heading towards the gym. Because of the TMs that Flint had generously offered Ash, Ash was really excited for the battle and felt really good about it. This was going to be his first one, and he couldn't wait. He trained really hard for this battle and had asked each of his Pokemon if they were up for the fight despite the disadvantage. Each of them had agreed to fight for Ash should he choose them. He could do this.

The group was now in front of the gym again. Serena put a hand on Ash's shoulder and gave him a nod to show him that she was behind him all the way. Ash smiled at Serena and took a deep breath. He was just about to enter the gym, but instead, the doors opened before he reached them, and Ash came face-to-face with another boy, presumably another trainer, and they locked eyes for a moment.

They continued to stare at one another until Ash realized he was probably in the boy's way. "Oh. I'm sorry," Ash said as he quickly moved to the side.

The group took in the boy's appearance. He had thick light purple hair and was wearing a black and purple jacket over a gray t-shirt and also wearing dark gray pants. There was also something about his eyes that made Ash uneasy. They seemed so cold.

The boy said nothing and resumed his walking. As he passed, Ash decided to be friendly. "So, are you a trainer also?"

"Obviously," the boy replied as he continued walking. He didn't even look in Ash's direction.

"Oh. Okay," Ash said not deterred by the boy's unfriendliness. "Did you win the battle and get the Boulder Badge?"

"Yes. I did. Is this going somewhere?" the boy replied rather coldly, finally stopping to look at Ash.

The group was surprised by the boy's rudeness. "Um, no. I just wanted to say congratulations to you and your Pokemon," Ash said trying to ease the tension.

The boy glared at Ash and resumed walking. "Fine. Whatever," he replied.

"Well, someone could use an attitude adjustment," Misty said in annoyance as the boy continued to walk away.

"_You're one to talk, Misty_," Serena thought to herself. She then noticed that Ash either hadn't heard or ignored Misty's comment. He was too busy gazing at the boy he had just ran into.

Ash watched the boy for a long time as he walked away. He didn't quite know what it was, but he felt a sort of link when he saw this boy. It was a really weird feeling, but Ash felt as though this wouldn't be the final time he saw him. Ash believed that when he did see this boy again, it was bound not to be a pleasant meeting. It would probably be very soon as well.

* * *

**Three guesses who the guy at the end of the chapter is (if it isn't obvious enough)**

**The challenge of the samurai chapter should be the last of the filler chapters. Every chapter from here on out will hold some sort of significance: whether it be someone in the group catching a Pokemon, a gym battle or battle chateau challenge, acquiring an important item, plot development, or introducing a new character, so hopefully the pace of the story will pick up. The next chapter will be up in a week. Ash's first gym battle is up next and our favorite Pokemon breeder is there as well! (finally). See all of you next Tuesday!  
**

**One more thing. If you haven't voted yet in the poll located in my profile, please do so. There is a tie going on right now. I'm trying to please as many people as possible about what to do with Misty, and that can't work if there is a tie.**

**Chapter 10: The Battle at Pewter City Gym.**

**Answering the questions:**

_Since you don't support Pokeshipping, and that in the story Misty knows of Serena's crush on Ash, in guessing most likely Misty will never develop/show her crush on Ash that she developed and showed subtly in the Anime and Movies._

**_Ash and Misty won't have anything more than a friendship in this story. I know a lot of people support Pokeshipping and that is fine. I just can't see how it would work due to the reasons stated in my profile. I'm trying to make Misty a little more likable in this story than how the anime portrays her because I honestly don't hate Misty. I just don't support Ash and Misty as a romantic pairing._**

_Are you planning on implementing all the movies as sort of specials for this story, as in apart from the main story line?_

**_That is a very interesting idea and certainly something to consider. As of right now, the movies I'm including will be part of the actual story. If I can't find a proper place to put them or if it disrupts the flow too much, I will place them as separate stories or chapters labeled "specials"_**

_Given how long the 1st season is(80 episodes, not including the 2 or 3 banned episodes) do you plan of skipping the fillers?_

**_I consider Challenge of the Samurai to be the last of the actual "fillers" in this story so yes I will skip any future ones that I don't think are important. This chapter might have been one, but I think it was important because of the introduction of (Cough), Pikachu and Pidgeotto learning TMs, and information and foreshadowing regarding the fossil Pokemon. As stated above, every chapter from here on out will have some sort of significance to the plot. This will hold true in the future arcs as well._**

_Also, is there going to be an arc or period of time where Serena leaves for a while? I think it could make an interesting development further on in the story line, like after a falling out or something?_

**_Serena will be Ash's constant traveling companion throughout the series and won't leave...err for more than a chapter or two anyway. They might have a few fights in the series, but never anything big enough to cause a massive falling out and cause Serena to leave the group for a long time._**

_Are TR going to be in the majority of each chapter?_

_**No. Team Rocket will only appear when I think it is necessary for the plot. They won't appear again until Mt. Moon and it will be a long time before they appear after that one. As we get further along into this fic, Team Rocket will start appearing a little more as Ash and the group are caught up in their horrible deeds. Will they be in Johto and after? You will have to wait and see.  
**_

_Is Serena going to change outfit like Ash in Hoenn & Sinnoh?_

**_Lol that is certainly a question I wasn't expecting! Yes I will find some different outfit for Serena to change into for those regions. Pokemon XY has many different outfits to choose from after all._**

_Will Ash just stick with the pokemon he caught in canon or will he catch more pokemon and rotate them? _

**_Ash will catch slightly more Pokemon than in canon and yes he will rotate them. Serena will also when she gets more than six._**

_f I may ask a question, since Pokemon seem to have abilities, will those Pokemon who have changed types over the years have their newer types? For a relevant example, will Clefairy be a Normal-type or a Fairy-Type?_

**_The newer games and avoiding continuity errors dictate that I go ahead and have the Pokemon changed to their newer types. This chapter revealed that the Dark/Steel type were recently discovered but not a lot is known about them yet. The same will be true for the Fairy-type._**

_Hey will ash and serena catch the same Pokémon (not including charmander)?_

**_It isn't something I have planned at the moment to avoid redundancy._**

_Will Ash get the male Nidoran?_

**_Believe me. I tried to find a place to put a male Nidoran on Ash's team, but just couldn't make it work. It is a good idea gone to waste I know, but Ash won't be catching a male Nidoran anytime soon. Sorry._**


End file.
